“23”
Blonde Redhead
4AD Records
(Out Of 5)
Blonde Redhead’s “23” is the sort of album that will surely grab your attention ““ at least through the first half. While earlier albums have drawn comparisons to Sonic Youth, “23,” continuing what 2004’s “Misery Is A Butterfly” began, sounds more refined and steps out of Sonic Youth’s shadow.
With light melodies carried gently by even softer vocals, the album soothes the listener into a peaceful state of tranquility. Eponymous track “23” hypnotizes the listener into a mystical daze with a harmony that seems to float over steady beats. And although “Silently” picks up the pace slightly, this song still has the ability to calm the listener due to gentle plucking of the guitar.
Despite sounding like cats in heat, singers Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace display an uncanny ability to have vocals that are still pleasant to the ear. Alone, their voices are grating, but when coupled in the ethereal harmonies that Blonde Redhead is known to produce, it makes for an odd coupling of sounds that works.
Even though “Dr. Strangeluv” seems to drag on, Makino’s high-pitched vocals add the perfect amount of strangeness to the mixture, creating a track that stands out despite the subdued melody. “SW” combines Pace’s atypical voice, an eerie piano tune, and a somewhat harsh-sounding brass instrument interlude to make one of the most interesting tracks on the album. On “The Dress,” Makino sounds a bit stiff and robotic, mirrored by similarly mechanical music and drumbeats. This coupling causes the song to flow together rather than sound jarring and awkward.
“23” has one major downfall ““ it is a bit redundant. Some songs flow into one another, making it hard to tell where one starts and the other ends.
The album is not without flaws. However, the artistic progress made by Blonde Redhead is admirable, and “23” is worth a few spins if only to prove the band’s progress.