The Long Blondes - Giddy Stratospheres
2 Comments Published by Tom on Friday, March 30, 2007 at 09:57.
Giddy Stratospheres is a re-recording of a track that first turned up as a single on Angular Records in 2004 and is yet another single taken from the Someone To Drive You Home album. Are there any tracks left?It is one of the Long Blondes better tracks and is five minutes of Kate Howard getting bitchy amongst the hand claps and the bass driven beat. The song pours scorn on one young chaps new girlfriend, a wannabe femme fatale, who makes him stay in night after night, eating chocolate and drinking wine without him getting a sniff of crossing her "empire line".
The trouble is you know it's The Long Blondes because their sound has not changed much over the past few years. Re-releasing a three year old track does not help matters as it is a measure of how little the band have come as regards to their sound in that period. Saying that it worked for The Ramones!
Sadly the flip side brings further proof that the Long Blondes are just a pretty decent singles band. All Bar One Girls which is just as bland and awful, if not worse, than the bar chain the band mention in the song. Save your money or buy The Lucky Soul single instead.
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I've seen an extended version of this EP floating around with more tracks. In particular, "I'm Coping" is a dark, loping, bass-driven thrillride for 2.5 minutes -- a worthy successor to "Fulwood Babylon" until they decide to tack on 40 seconds worth of a rehash of "Once and Never Again." It's frustrating that they didn't have the confidence to fade out on that unresolved journey, but at least some of the b-sides are showing an evolution into new territory.
The 7" versions have two extra tracks which I have not heard. Maybe that CD collates them. If I see them cheap I may pick them up and give them a listen but don't hold your breath!!!