23
Okay, this is hardly a new release, but I wasn’t blogging when Blonde Redhead’s 23
I’ll confess that I don’t know a huge amount of Blonde Redhead’s music. When I was doing college radio back in the late 90’s, I knew some guys who liked them a lot, and I played tracks from them from time-to-time myself. I recall them sounding pretty much like Sonic Youth knock-offs, but if that was the case then, their abilities have developed quite a bit.
Which isn’t to say that Sonic Youth isn’t still an apt reference point. They’re definitely still an art rock band, and the album ripples with tension. But the band indulges their pop instincts now as well. This contrast is embodied in singer Kazu Makino’s voice, which often verges on shrillness, but never quite crosses that line, instead coming across as both unearthly and alluring.
Opening track “23″ is all thundering drums and deep bass, with “Glider”-era My Bloody Valentine guitars layered on top. The song walks a fine balance between art rock and pop, and does it magnificently, setting the stage for the rest of the album. The album’s second highlight is “Silently”, whose slinky beat, ethereal harmonies, and poignant chorus make it the album’s pop centerpiece. “Top Ranking”, the penultimate track, could almost be described as jangle pop if it wasn’t so apprehensive and creepy sounding. And album closer “My Impure Hair” is haunting, beautiful dream pop, allowing the album to drift away at the end, in contrast to its thundering opening.
Those are the album’s highlights, but the rest of the material is fine as well. Amedeo Pace sings the bulk of the album’s middle section (“Silently”, somewhat oddly, is nestled between his three songs), and while his voice is a bit annoying, it fits the unsettling vibe of the material (the best of his songs is the propulsive “Spring And By Summer Fall”). This album is really good. I’m going to have to dig into the back catalog.
