23 [Digipak]

Performer: Blonde Redhead
Engineer: Chris Coady; Chris Coady
Producer: Blonde Redhead; Blonde Redhead
Distributor: Alternative Dis. Alliance

Notes: Personnel: Morgan King (French horn). Audio Mixers: Alan Moulder; Rich Costey. Recording information: Magic Shop (2006); Stay Gold (2006). Editor: Eddie Jackson . On 23, Blonde Redhead's second full-length outing for 4AD, the New York City-based indie-rock trio, fronted by reedy-voiced singer/multi-instrumentalists Amedeo Pace and Kazu Makino (Simone Pace rounds out the line-up on drums), continues to refine the intense, artfully eccentric sound that it crafted on MISERY IS A BUTTERFLY. Although there are nods to the band's guitar-driven formative aesthetic (see the majestic title track and the searing "Spring and By Summer Fall"), even these more energetic moments carry a fascinating, dream-like quality, recalling the mesmerizing atmosphere of the Cure's DISINTEGRATION, while other tunes mix goth splendor with Beatlesque flourishes (as on the disarming "SW"). Easily one of the most intriguing indie albums of early '07, 23 is required listening for aficionados of intelligent, expansive rock. With each album since Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, Blonde Redhead has made huge strides forward with their sound. Misery Is a Butterfly pitted fragile melodies against dark, swirling arrangements, and its tragic glamour turned the album into a cult favorite. On 23, the band trades the cloistered chamber rock of Butterfly for tone-bending dream pop and subtle electronics; while the wide open spaces sound a little bare at first, this streamlined approach ends up making this Blonde Redhead's loveliest and most accessible work yet. The group begins each album with a bold statement of purpose, and 23 is no different. The epic title track's delicate electronic rhythms, swooping, shimmering guitars, and majestically bittersweet melody pitch it somewhere between My Bloody Valentine and Asobi Seksu, showing how a more restrained Blonde Redhead can still sound lush and haunting. "Spring and Summer by Fall"'s streaming, comet-tail guitars and "Silently"'s thorny melody hark back to Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, while "Heroine"'s vocoders sound surprisingly fresh, giving the song a fairy tale-meets-sci-fi vibe. This more whimsical, if not exactly lighthearted, feel flows through much of 23, especially on "Dr. Strangeluv," which boasts playful percussion and sparkling synths, and "Top Ranking," which layers Kazu Makino's vocals into futuristic girl group harmonies. However, Blonde Redhead hasn't ditched the brooding beauty of Misery Is a Butterfly entirely. "The Dress" is just as darkly stunning as any song on that album, with looping gasps and insistent guitars circling lyrics like "the fear starts creeping up when you have so much to lose," while "SW"'s melody and psychedelic brass interlude have a Butterfly-esque intensity. And as always, Blonde Redhead has a flair for haunting melodies, particularly on "Publisher," the chorus of which sounds peculiarly like Aerosmith's "Dream On." 23 is stunning -- in fact, its only flaw might be that its track listing is a little top-heavy, resulting in an album with an amazing first half and a flip side that is only very good. Nitpicking aside, 23 is mysterious and modern, with an artfully strange beauty that is more memorable than perfection. ~ Heather Phares

Entertainment Weekly (p.75) - "Their seventh LP unfolds like a vivid dream, as Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace's drowsy vocals float in and out of focus..." -- Grade: A- Q (p.123) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Kazu Makino's breathy soprano soars on the gorgeous title track, while highlights elsewhere include the filmic 'The Dress' and the desolate, piano-driven 'SW'..." Magnet (p.99) - "23 is a sinister, slinky catwalk with sharper melodic angles and a propulsive, post-punk groove, giving substance to all that style." Mojo (Publisher) (p.110) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Their music is now writ large, although without losing any of its subtlety and idiosyncrasy."

Italian twins Amedeo and Simone Pace formed Blonde Redhead in New York City during the early 1990s with Japanese vocalist Kazu Makino. The group's brand of noise-rock earned them an unshakable comparison to Sonic Youth. Although the two groups indeed shared many musical characteristics, Blonde Redhead would go on to hone and expand its avant pedigree into something uniquely its own, emerging as one of the finest underground rock bands of the era.

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