And so here it is, one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The coming together of Milo Cordell (him from the Merok Label) and Robbie Furze (him from the Alec Empire band and numerous Lily Allen tabloid stories) has created no end of fuss. The question of course is whether or not The Big Pink is going to stand up regardless of the hype and the apparent “Fonz” factor of the protagonists.Dredging their inspiration from various Shoegaze sources and coupling it with a few dance beats might not sound likely to induce infatuation but for at least 70% of A Brief History of Love it works perfectly.Opening things up with 'Crystal Visions' and some chiming delayed guitars, we seem to be in for a fairly gentle ride. Of course someone flicks the My Bloody Valentine emulator into life and all of a sudden we’re talking about an entirely different beast. Massive guitars thunder over the chorus and Furze surfs over the top of them with a perfect Jim Reid impression. Elsewhere there’s plenty of space to be explored which is filled with chaotic noise courtesy of any number of cascading guitars which fall into each other fighting for space like beefed up, pissed off Gods. A cracking start then, and one that’s followed with the highlight of the album in the shape of 'Too Young To Love'. Yet more soaring guitars colliding with each other, feeding back, and generally creating an awkward soundscape, but this time an incessant drum pattern and some perfectly pitched bass keep things together just enough for Furze to emote over the top. The point where the programmed meets the frenzy of guitars on free reign is fascinating, with the band clearly capable of moving within defined parameters with ease, and most importantly, not being so concerned with structure as to allow it to affect the emotion of the song.'Dominos' follows and is a clear attempt at something approaching a pop song. A huge catchy chorus, and a very basic structure does the job perfectly. Just in case there was any stone unturned there is of couse plenty of bragging about success with the ladies (they fall like dominos apparently ”“ slightly disturbing for anyone who might have enjoyed a night with these guys’ “big pink”. If you find yourself covered in white dots after such a night, get yourself down the clinic people).'Love in Vain' borrows heavily from The Verve, pinching not only their sound, but with Furze putting on his best Ashcroft impression. At this point, it’s probably advisable to try and avoid finding comparisons and influences because A Brief History of Love is so crammed with them it should probably come with a dedicated I-Spy book. If you can let it go and embrace it for what it is, you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more.So what is A Brief History of Love? Well, it is a well executed trawl through a history of love which is of course something of a torturous journey. From the uninhibited rutting of 'Dominos', you’ll eventually find yourself at the point where it all goes wrong. Title track 'A Brief History of Love' sums this point up beautifully with its mournful backing bring the most out of the heartbroken duet between Furze and Jo Robertson. Like all love stories there’s a considerable mixture of highs and lows, and a great deal of confusion. The Big Pink get the balance about right here, and although at times this is an album that can seem a little derivative, for the most part it’s a success.So is it worth all the anticipation? There’s little doubt that A Brief History of Love will have many people enamoured with it for the next few months, it is after all a pretty strong album. Will it be looked upon with love and fondness in a few years? Only time will tell, and of course that rather depends on whether a younger, better, model comes along. Ain’t love grand?The Big Pink on Myspace