Blancmange Mange Tout (1984)

Mange Tout, Blancmange's follow-up to Happy Families, appeared in 1984. Typical of many second albums, the production is a little glossier, the sound a little less fresh. On Mange Tout, Arthur and Luscombe stick to the pattern they established on their debut, alternating catchy, sequencer-heavy pop with downtempo ballads. Sitar and tabla flavorings continue to play a significant role, as does co-conspirator David Rhodes' guitar. Also typical of many sophomore efforts, Mange Tout at times runs short of material. While the singles "Don't Tell Me" and "Blind Vision" are nigh irresistible, the similar "That's Love That It Is" gets to be a bit much. And though the B-side boasts the nifty a cappella "See the Train" and the pleasing (if disturbingly Thompson Twins-like) "My Baby," a couple of the songs carry the stench of filler. The album's closer - a synth-heavy, nearly eight-minute take on ABBA's "The Day Before You Came" - isn't terrible, just inexplicable.

Mange Tout, Blancmange's follow-up to Happy Families, appeared in 1984. Typical of many second albums, the production is a little glossier, the sound a little less fresh. On Mange Tout, Arthur and Luscombe stick to the pattern they established on their debut, alternating catchy, sequencer-heavy pop with downtempo ballads. Sitar and tabla flavorings continue to play a significant role, as does co-conspirator David Rhodes' guitar. Also typical of many sophomore efforts, Mange Tout at times runs short of material. While the singles "Don't Tell Me" and "Blind Vision" are nigh irresistible, the similar "That's Love That It Is" gets to be a bit much. And though the B-side boasts the nifty a cappella "See the Train" and the pleasing (if disturbingly Thompson Twins-like) "My Baby," a couple of the songs carry the stench of filler. The album's closer - a synth-heavy, nearly eight-minute take on ABBA's "The Day Before You Came" - isn't terrible, just inexplicable.

Taking their name from a type of cooked pudding, the electronic duo Blancmange interlaced the arty, exotic dance rhythms of Talking Heads with the quirky melodrama of early-'80s British synth pop. Consisting of Neil Arthur (vocals, guitar) and Stephen Luscombe (keyboards), Blancmange formed in London, England in the late '70s. Originally called L360, Blancmange received immediate recognition when they sent the song "Sad Day" to DJ Stevo, who added it to a compilation LP of then-unsigned new wave groups, including future alternative icons like Depeche Mode and Soft Cell. Drummer Laurence Stevens was a member of the band for a short while, but they eventually replaced him with a drum machine…

Blanc Burn is the fourth studio album by Blancmange, was released on 7 March 2011 by Proper Records. It is Blancmange's first album of new material in a quarter of a century, following 1985's Believe You Me. Blancmange are an English synth-pop band formed in Harrow, London, in 1979. The band were a duo for most of their career, composed of Neil Arthur (vocals) and Stephen Luscombe (keyboards). They came to prominence in the early 1980s releasing four singles that entered the Top 20 charts in the UK, such as "Living on the Ceiling", "Waves", "Blind Vision" and "Don't Tell Me", and they released three albums during that decade, Happy Families (1982), Mange Tout (1984) and Believe You Me (1985). The duo broke up in 1986 but reformed in 2011 and released their fourth album Blanc Burn (2011).