Blanche Blanche Blanche- Talk Out Loud 7"

I came across this single by Vermont based weirdos Blanche Blanche Blanche while checking, 7 Inches several times a day, impatiently waiting for the Trophy Wife EP to get reviewed (it eventually did and I was very happy).  Before reading even a word, I was immediately taken with the cover art, a washed out color copy of a grainy photo bearing an ancient looking synth sandwiched between the bored expressionless faces of the two band members.  I was also very into their name, which I felt was so dumb it crossed into brilliance, and the fact that they had inexplicably included the dumb/brilliant name twice on the record cover.

I read the review, which made the record sound pretty good, and so, being as I was, already quite impressed with the tone of the visual aesthetic, I decided to check out the video that had been made for the A-Side track, Talk Out Loud.  The video was great, (obviously shot and edited on VHS, it echoed the tone of the record cover nicely), but the song itself was even better.  The arrangement of this track is so minimal that the first time I listened to it, I honestly thought for sure that at any moment slick beats programmed on Ableton or ProTools would kick in in an effort to 'complete' the sound and prepared myself for disappointment.  After the hook (which is instantly addictive) played through for the second time, I started to get excited, and said out loud in my head "If shitty beats don't ruin this in a second, I have to buy it immediately".  A few moments later, the song ended.  No shitty beats.  I hurriedly started the song over again and opened a new tab in my browser so I could listen to it while I ordered the record.  I probably listened to it ten more times that night alone.

I suppose the closest reference point to describe the duo's music would be new wave, though while it's obvious that parts of their style have that influence, they are considerably more obtuse than a band like say, Devo, who while relatively odd, were still for the most part just putting their own idiosyncratic spin on guitar based rock.  Blanche Blanche Blanche does not play guitar based rock.  The instrumentation instead is apparently made up only of layered synths, and sounds just slightly more modern than the demo on the battery powered keyboard you got for your birthday in 1988.   On Talk Out Loud, garbled arpeggio loops set the backdrop, complimented by the occasional  melody played on the synth's organ setting, as both members sing in voices which are similar in tone to the puzzling expressions they display on the cover.  Sarah (the female member of the band) half-whispers rhythmically before moving into a more traditional, but restrained, pop vocal style during the rad hook.  Zach (the male member) sings in a kind of weird effeminate robot voice, not entirely unlike that of C3P0 from Star Wars.

The lyrics on Talk Out Loud are, as far as I can tell (remember, some of them are nearly whispered), about feelings of anxiety and social awkwardness. They are, I feel, as equally compelling as the music itself, featuring totally bizarre metaphors that I don't really get, such as: "When I was in the shredder / I had a shred of respect" and "Can't I believe the loaded gun? / There's nothing in it".

The B-Side, Water to Wine, is a more down tempo affair and as a result, it isn't quite as dynamic or catchy as Talk Out Loud, but it's still quite good and thankfully in no way resembles a throwaway track put in place just to back up the single.

Apparently BBB have been turning some heads, as according to their label, they have been featured on Pitchfork and in the French version of Vogue.  I don't read either one, but I'm glad to see a really neat band getting some well deserved attention from entities that will no doubt increase their visibility.      

You can buy the record here and check out their videos here.