The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love (4AD)
September 14th, 2009
4.7/6.0
Momentum has been gathering around The Big Pink all summer as they clock up multiple festival appearances. Now, they've finally unleashed their debut longplayer and many will be eager to snap it up to see if the promise shown by this year's single releases can be realised over a full record.
The answer to this question is yes. Right from the moment opener Chrystal Visions breaks out into a hard hitting climax of guitar noise, it is clear that the duo have come up with something that should set the tone for a long career in the attention of music lovers. Underpinned throughout by hard hitting electro beats that strike the bowels of any listener with a half-decent stereo, the variety of effects used makes for an urgent and memorable record that is sure to be somewhere near your CD player on a Friday evening.
The soaring keyboard line of At War With The Sun provides a suitably otherworldly backdrop for a tale of all-consuming young love while Velvet, the band’s attention-grabbing single from earlier this year is resplendent on the record with its irresistible ebbing and flowing swagger.
Although the lower middle order contains some slightly laboured filler, and lyrically the record never deviates from its themes of the sleazy underbelly of modern love and romance, there are more than enough memorable songs here. The album’s lazy paced title track, with its stretched bleeps and plodding bass, and languidly cool closer Count Backwards From Ten are two further examples. With this up their sleeve, The Big Pink are sure to demand more attention before the year is out.
words: Steve Welch
The Big Pink tour the UK in the autumn, followed by dates in Europe and the USA later in 2009.
www.musicfromthebigpink.com
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