Blonde Redhead - Misery Is a Butterfly
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Free Music Notes for Misery Is a Butterfly
Free Music Review: Soundtrack to a bad memory
Hit: 5 Stars
Blonde Redhead is one of many bands I found on various 'so you want to get into indie' lists and downloaded essentially at random. Now I must state in advance that I am no afficionado in regards to the styles of music this fairly vague genre encompasses, and that I also have not been very impressed by most of the bands I have heard. However there can be no mistake... Misery is a Butterfly is beautiful music.
This album is designed to hit nerves, hard. Every melody is crafted with intent and deliberation, and the progressions are largely orchestral in nature - many moments in this album bring to mind the melodramatic chord pivots of pieces written by Beethoven. Amadeo's voice conjures Thom Yorke post-back alley beating, crying for mercy and a little humanity, please. Kazu's voice provides a ghostly, exhausted alternative to the self-absorbtion of Amedeo. They work in concert beautifully.
Almost any song on Misery is a Butterfly could be considered a highlight without much of a stretch. It opens with the deeply sentimental, meloncholic "Elephant Woman," which brings to mind all the saddest moments in a Benji film. The longing rhodes piano and tentative, loping snare drum of "Melody" is a haunting, cynical look through an old shoebox of things you forgot about long ago and maybe didn't want to remember. "Falling Man" is another highlight (but where are the lowlights?), with one of the most bent tearjerk melodies in recent memory. "Doll Is Mine" is the furious protest of someone who is obviously far too disadvantaged to do anything about what is plagueing them. "Maddening Clovd" is clearly the climax of this record, although not necessarily the last good song; It provides a high energy, hopeful beam of light at the end of the tunnel. Even against the brutal melody, the pace of the song seems to suggest "we're still gonna try our best!"
A highly recommended album for any fan of indie, alternative rock, or any emotionally impactful form of music. A little sentimental, yes, but that's not inherrantly a bad thing, and this album is evidence of that. Indie seems most likely to be a downhill journey for me from here.
Free Music Review: Just Beautiful
Hit: 5 Stars
For me, "Misery is a Butterfly" is a gem and like all Blonde Redhead albums,like all of their albums area gem and a godsend. The songs are rich with genuine emotion, lyrically abstract,and artistically beautiful. The string arrangments are more romantic than "In an Expression of the Inexpressible." Elephant Woman is just lush, beautiful, and sad. I also like "Equus," "Anticipation," "Melody," "Misery is a Butterfly." "Pink Love" is equally exqusite which begins with these lyrics: "I won't bind my strings to you/ But build my world besides you." It perfectly describes the building of a healthy romantic relationship: someone who is in love another, but is working wholeheartedly on their individual paths & separate goals. I disagree with another reviewer who said that the singers - Amadeo and Kazu - need replacing. Blonde Redhead is not writing music to be commercially successful - thank god. They're writing music from their heart. I am so happy that Kazu & Amadeo sings, because their voices captures pain, insecurity, fear, angst, brokeness, and forbidden love well.
Yes, many musical acts have approached these same emotions differently in their songs. But, I believe that Blonde Redhead does it with complete authenticity, fragility, and grace. If any other singers took either Kazu's or Amadeo's places, it would most definitely not have the same impact, because it would be too "polished." It's the rough-around the edges vocals that give the songs their gothic edginess and their intensity. This music is not for everyone. If you don't like the singing, tough. This album was not for you.
Free Music Review: Best Blonde Redhead album ever
Hit: 5 Stars
Even through my limited perception as I only own 3 of their albums, Misery is a Butterfly being the latest one, I must say that I enjoy this CD very well. Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons was pretty good for the first few tracks until it strayed a bit beyond what I am able to artistically interpret (and since I'm an engineer, my artistic interpretation and comprehension skills are limited to begin with.) In Misery, I felt a lot more connected to the music than any of the other albums, in which I found the songs were more enjoyable listening to them live (Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver International Jazz Fesitval 2003), this is the first album from them where I can comfortably listen to the album from start to finish, although I very much like the first track "Elephant Woman". The music sounds more meloncholy than ever but in a way the way everything is orchestrated in this album gives it an extremely relaxing light in a cynical kind of way, as if escaping from the dark reality of (college) life with even darker music. I guess it helps that their vocal clarity has improved greatly this time so the music doesn't just sound like high pitched whiny noises. Very well done. Even with my conflicting tastes in music, buying Audrey de Montigny's Album and this one in the same day, I give this album 2 thumbs and 8 fingers up.Free Music Review: Misery's gossamer wings
Hit: 5 Stars
They say there's nothing new under the sun, and though they're right, this comes as close as anything I've heard in a very long time.
I've had to almost give up on being inspired by much new these days, it seems it's either extremely derivative, of something else that actually is original, or extremely predictable. This is a big exception for me on a few levels. First off, uniquely inspired songwriting, so melodically and harmonically sophisticated but still with great organic elements and at times even raw sounding, a rare combo. Really inventive production too and just a feeling that this band really has their own take on pop music. I know some people would take issue with calling it that, but for me it is quintessentially pop music in that it is so melodic and inventive in a way that pop music really should be.
And though, as others have noted, the vocal style won't be everyone's cup-o-soup, I actually find it ethereal and haunting.
I never listened to Sonic youth so I don't know about their apparent early parallels with that sound, though they do seem to have really come into their own with these last two CD's and especially this one. I'm looking forward to hearing what they do on the next one. In the age of diminishing expectations, a real breath of fresh air.
Free Music Review: It takes courage to write a love story like this one
Hit: 5 Stars
-especially given all the pretentious garbage that floods the markets in the USA and elsewhere. Does one dare ask what love really is in a stupid consumer world? Talking about singing voices or Sonic Youth is just another crappy and superficial consumer demand. Just let the band play!
This album is, I agree, very beautiful. It has only grown as I listen to it more. The songs are very straightforward while the sound structures are quite complex and free, drawing a lot of clips from everywhere. For some reason the "sound of Blonde Redhead" the band has changed drastically. I don't want to say for better or worse, it is just their work. But I really enjoy this music and the courage of a band today to steer off the tunnelvision traintrack that most musicians steam forward on as part of some dumb marketing scheme. Why should B.R. have the same sound album after album? Why do people talk about them being boxed in at the same time they complain the band should be boxed in? The trio is now at a stage of taking control of their creativity, a wonderful moment for any artist.
Anyway, this music with it's talented creators has a great capacity, diversity, richness, deapth and passion with glimpses into a love story that unflods as you let the music ride your senses.
Olafur Th. in NYC.