Unfurnished Rooms

Unfurnished Rooms is the ninth studio album by British Synth-pop band Blancmange, released in 2017. It was produced by Neil Arthur and Benge, and reached No. 40 in the UK Independent Albums Chart.[2]

Unfurnished Rooms
Studio album by
Blancmange
Released29 September 2017[1]
Length48:57
LabelBlanc Check Records
ProducerNeil Arthur, Benge
Blancmange chronology
Commuter 23
(2016)		 Unfurnished Rooms
(2017)		 Wanderlust
(2018)

The album was Blancmange's first release since First Light, a 2017 collaborative album between Arthur and Benge, released under the name Fader.[3] Speaking to MusicOMH in 2017, Arthur commented on Benge's involvement with Unfurnished Rooms: "It was fantastic when he said he was up for getting involved. I'd written the songs and a lot of instrumentation. I put my electronic noises on, and the idea was for Benge to replace the rhythm area."[4]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Louder Than War[5]
The Quietusfavourable[6]
Record Collector[7]

Upon release, Michael Hann of The Quietus described the album as "pleasing", adding: "...as if Blancmange have journeyed back to the early 1980s and taken a different turning".[6] Paul Scott-Bates of Louder Than War summarised the album as "clever". He said: "It sees Neil Arthur on top form and putting together a listening experience that has taken thought, passion and a great deal of bravery."[5] D Foist of Record Collector wrote: "Unfurnished Rooms still has the synthpop undercarriage, but feels more like an assured indie collection than anything else. A hint of glam pokes through here and there, but also a good dose of the stodgier end of Depeche Mode's output."[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Neil Arthur.

No.TitleLength
1."Unfurnished Rooms"4:46
2."We Are the Chemicals"5:16
3."Share It Out"4:11
4."What's The Time?"4:28
5."Wiping the Chair"4:34
6."Anna Dine"3:46
7."In December"4:48
8."Old Friends"5:27
9."Gratitude"3:37
10."Don't Get Me Wrong"8:09

Chart performance
Chart (2017) Peak
position
UK Independent Albums Chart[2] 40

Personnel
  • Neil Arthur - vocals, synthesiser, guitar, percussion, producer, recording, arrangement, mixing, artwork
  • Benge - synthesiser, drum machine, producer, recording, arrangement, mixing
  • David Rhodes - additional guitar (track 1-2, 4, 7-9)
  • John Grant - piano, backing vocals (track 10)
  • Shawn Joseph - mastering
Other
  • Adam Yeldham - layout
  • Steve Malins - management

References
  1. "Unfurnished Rooms - Blancmange | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  2. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  3. "– Unfurnished Rooms". Blancmange. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  4. "Blancmange: "People want wall to wall music. Never mind the chords, feel the width..." - Interview | Interviews". 16 September 2017.
  5. "Blancmange: Unfurnished Rooms - album review". Louder Than War. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  6. "Reviews | Blancmange". The Quietus. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  7. "Unfurnished Rooms - Record Collector Magazine". Recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
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