Sheffield quintet The Long Blondes have returned with an album that focuses on love and relationships. There is a marked difference from the debut Someone To Drive You Home, the band have managed to progress, rather than rehash, their sound. Each keyboard line, each vocal hook and each danceable rhythm is matched by a cynicism and pessimism in the lyrics, a glamorous façade that covers up messy and sometimes ugly inner-workings.The superbly concentrated lyrics of the album convey the complexity of the band’s chosen theme extremely well. 'Guilt' is, as its title might imply, about infidelity, “I got a boy and we’ve been together you see/Before I knew you, before you knew me/Now I’ve made my choice and I’m sticking to it/And Guilt has nothing, nothing to do with it”. The narrator in 'The Couples' bemoans her single status, people see her as independent and happy in her singleness, but that’s not true, she is lonely, “You’re not lonely/I am baby”. She is struggling with feelings of discontent, with the way she has chosen her life to be, “The couples walk by/And give me the eye/But that’s not what I want”. 'I Liked The Boys' shows a married couple who have grown apart, the woman has grown up but the man hasn’t, “When I was young/I liked the boys/When I was young/You were my boy”, it can be inferred that she isn’t young anymore, she needs more than a ‘boy’ now. There is one glimmer of hope and redemption on Couples, 'Nostalgia' is a positive take on love and being ready to settle down with someone, “I want to move into the future/Move into the future/Move into the future with you”. The narrator has managed to leave behind the tiresome knotted-ness of youth, out-growing such things as embracing cynicism, “I used to think you’d never cry/Or worry if I said goodbye/That human beings have all outgrown those basic feelings anyway”.I was somewhat surprised to find out that guitarist/keyboardist Dorian Cox is principle lyricist for the group, as Kate Jackson’s expressive vocals and magnetic personality seems to make every word she utters absolutely hers. She really pulls out some great performances for this album, 'Century' is a deep chesty delivery for the most part, with an elegant and delicate moment when she sings “Everything I touch/Lightning trails of human life”, seeming to actually trail gold in it’s echoing wake. 'Too Clever By Half' is perhaps her most nuanced performance, high pitched and soft, she relates a story of multiple infidelities in the most sexy and aloof way. 'Round The Hairpin' is tense and sultry, going well with the music and austere lyrics.The greater role of the keyboard in this album has created a new dimension to the band, tracks like 'Century', 'Round The Hairpin' and 'Erin O’Connor' are good examples of this newly focused Roxy Music and new wave style. Elsewhere, the one-two punk punch of 'I Liked The Boys' and 'Here Comes The Serious Bit' is an enjoyable heart pounding detour near the middle of the album. Movie samples are used in an interesting way to link up songs, which, together with remix/mash-up DJ Erol Alkan’s turn as producer and the warm sound he brings out of the band, and the atmospheric John McGeoch styled guitar lines throughout the album, rounds everything out.When listening to Couples I find myself glad, so glad, that the band took a decision to be different, to try and stand out, to make an interesting album instead of a safe one. And the great thing is, interesting doesn’t preclude enjoyable here, while it’s true that the band isn’t really going for pop songs this time round, I would say that the sound they have created is more enjoyable than some new-wave derivativeness they could have knocked out in their sleep. There is certainly a parallel with Bloc Party, who also tried something interesting and different with a DJ type producer for their second album, but A Weekend In The City was much less enjoyable than the excellent Couples. 87%Links The Long Blondes [myspace]