Persuasion

For what was likely a contractually obligated compilation, it's amazing how much fun the 'tones sound like they're having on the quartet of new songs on 2002's The Singles. Even more impressive is that they try on a new identity for each of them, and all of the four are broadly successes.


We've already discussed the wide open Americana of "The Bluetones Big Score". Persuasion has the same production gloss and tight harmonies, but leans instead to vampy new wave. It also features a ridiculously jaunty middle eight with some kind of synth-accordion, and outro with oscillating beeps in the finest fifties-vision-of-the-future tradition. Although I've not really noticed those before, camoflaged as they are by the robotic distorted guitars that 'woh-woh-woh' all over the track.

It's creative, it's a lot of fun, and it's all tied together by a clever narrative that sees a relationship in turmoil (as represented by Mark's powerfully drawn out vowels of the verses) being offered a glint of hope of reconciliation, albeit one where 'my envoys' do the talking. Only, it turns out via that middle eight, they actually aren't fighting because there's real conflict but just for the hell of it, like much else of what's enjoyable here.