Blonde Redhead - Misery Is a Butterfly
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Free Music Notes for Misery Is a Butterfly
Free Music Review: Great album
Hit: 5 Stars
This is absolutely the greatest album I've heard for the last 5-6 years. Incredible deep and very charming.
morten steiniche, musik.dk
Free Music Review: Beautiful
Hit: 5 Stars
Lovely, picturesque, intimate and inviting melodies. Love it!Free Music Review: Pitchforkmedia Review; 7.9 out of 10.0 = Very Good
Hit: 4 Stars
Blonde Redhead have long been maligned as self-consciously artsy, drawing facile comparisons to Sonic Youth and a host of No-Wave acts-- references that owe as much to their bandname's tribute to a DNA songs as to Blonde Redhead's often discordant noise-rock. That rhetoric, of course, should've been shelved after the release of Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons. I only felt I should mention it again because, apparently, many of their party-line detractors never got the memo. By Melody, much of Blonde Redhead's feedback-laced art-rock had given way to brittle pop and arm's-length romanticism, yet somehow they still caught flak for the sound they had already largely outgrown. Just saying, is all: What used to be true is now tired, and, with the release of Misery Is a Butterfly, such knee-jerk dismissals can finally be considered irrelevant.On Melody, the band's artistic growing pains had already become evident, most notably in the wide-eyed, fairytale pining of "This Is Not", a vibrant synth-ballad that-- like the first protuberance of wing from a cocoon-- threatened to split the seams of their style-damaged rock wide open. That's not just flowery critic-speak, either-- Kazu Makino and the Pace twins (Amadeo and Simone) split from Touch & Go Records and financed their latest recording themselves, because, according to Simone, they "didn't want to have any kind of limits with what [they] wanted to do as far as expenses; with Touch & Go, sometimes things were a little tight."
The confidence that led them to strike out on their own-- even before 4AD expressed interest in the album-- is impressive. But more striking is how clearly that confidence has translated to their music. Freed from all constraints, Blonde Redhead are beautifully reborn on Misery Is a Butterfly. True, feelings of loss, insecurity, and outright alienation do factor heavily into the record's thematic vision (this butterfly isn't called "Misery" for nothing), but the band's sense of assuredness surrounds the album's themes of vulnerability.
Misery Is a Butterfly was recorded before being shopped to a label, but judging by the sound of the album, its eventual release on 4AD seems to have been an inevitability. From track one, the record is lacy and moody, perfectly suited to the one-time home of the Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil. The word "lush" doesn't quite capture the fluttering whirls of strings, keyboards, and delicately plucked guitar that open "Elephant Woman"; I'd go so far as to label such enveloping richness of instrumentation "baroque," perhaps even "rococo."
For Blonde Redhead's latest incarnation, the softer production simply serves as polish for tarnished, tired guitar, drums and keyboards. Here, the bristling energy that once held would-be sympathizers at bay has been turned inward, resulting in an unprecedented illusion of warmth. "Anticipation", for example, ventures into completely foreign territory for the band; it's vulnerable, yet remains emotionally available, and is breathtaking even in comparison to the band's most typically pretty compositions. Never before have Makino's gentle whispers seemed so genuine or close at hand. The psychedelia-inflected title track and the fractured desolation of "Falling Man" also offer inviting hints of the underlying humanity Blonde Redhead had, until now, been so reluctant to display.
Of course, even now, that humanity may be little more than an apparition. Their tales of heartache and desperation have cast Makino and Amadeo Pace-- the emotional heart of the band-- as tragically misunderstood, tortured poets who pin misery on their sleeves, never conceding that anyone else could be capable of understanding their pain. And despite the more inviting nature of Misery's music and production, they remain insular and distant here, as well. Only on "Anticipation" are Makino's vocals as beckoning as their musical surroundings; elsewhere, Blonde Redhead remain as they've always been: beautiful and vacant.
But they excel at being just that. It bears repeating that Misery Is a Butterfly is a gorgeous achievement. Parrying the double-edged sword of pathos in music-- the "emo" trap, if you will-- Blonde Redhead have perfected their own unusual strain of perceived insincerity. They said it themselves, and it still rings true: "Fake can be just as good." Though this album's lustrous ornamentation is often placed at odds with its halting vocals, Blonde Redhead are wise enough to embrace their own imperfections. They once espoused the merits of loving another despite our faults, and it shouldn't be hard for fans to seize on that sage advice. Misery Is a Butterfly makes it easy.
-Eric Carr, April 12th, 2004
Free Music Review: An acquired taste, but quite rewarding
Hit: 4 Stars
I knew nothing of Blonde Redhead before I read a music review in a local free paper this year, and it interested me enough to visit the label's website and try an MP3 of the title track to this album. I went out and bought the album, and what a pleasant discovery it was.
Blonde Redhead is composed of Kazu Makino and twins Amadeo and Simone Pace. They create a sound often compared to Sonic Youth (especially their early, more unstructured sound), but since this is the only full album of theirs I've heard, I can't help but compare them with Radiohead.
Probably BR's most eclectic part, and some would argue their weakest link, is their vocals. If you remember the first time you heard Radiohead's Thom Yorke or Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell, or even Geddy Lee of Rush, some vocalists are at first challenging to the ear, and then become rewarding over time. The often whiny vocals of Amadeo Pace and Kazu Makino's breathy, narrow range certainly fall into that category. But like the other vocalists I mentioned, if you listen further you'll find their vocals suit the music quite well in their own way. Pace's vocals have an honest, charming style with more than a tinge of angst, while Makino has a disarming, ethereal, atmospheric style that really sets off their moodier material.
And this album is quite moody. It's where the comparisons to Radiohead become evident. The theme of this record is framed around the band's turmoil of the last few years, after Makino was seriously injured in a fall from a horse, and the Pace brothers decided on an unofficial, semi-working hiatus while she recovered. The camaraderie between the Paces and Makino is made crystal clear in recent writeups of the band -- all three believe they have something wonderful together and nothing was going to keep them from making music together. This album is essentially a tribute to their own mutual friendship.
On the first song of the album, "Elephant Woman," Makino sees herself as disfigured from her accident like the Elephant Man, inside and out, even remarking defeatedly, "Now inside and outside are matching." Straight afterward, "Messenger" has Amadeo saying, "Somewhere in your mind, you know you're doing fine." These songs set the pace for the album -- Makino in pain, wondering if recovery is possible, with Amadeo (and implicitly, Simone) keeping vigil, unable to help fully but staying by the side of their friend.
The title track, "Misery is a Butterfly," is rightly the album's centerpiece, set off by a surreal ensemble string arrangement, Amadeo's rhythm guitar, Simone's syncopated drums, Makino's keyboard melody and her spooky, affecting vocal, all contrasting brilliantly together like a threatening sky. It's one of those songs that stays with me for hours after listening. It is one of the best songs I've heard all year.
"Anticipation" is another clear album highlight, dark and brooding and yet somewhat hopeful, with a seductive, whispery vocal by Makino. As with the title track, this makes clear that Blonde Redhead's strengths lie in the strange contrasts of darkness and light, a moody approach reminiscent of Radiohead's masterpiece OK COMPUTER.
After the refreshingly bouncy (yet oddly themed) track "Maddening Cloud," there's "Magic Mountain," named after the Thomas Mann novel. But it's Haruki Murakami's NORWEGIAN WOOD that I think of, vividly, as I listen to "Magic Mountain," hearing Makino seemingly vocalizing the despair of the character of that great novel, looking plaintively at her life from a mountain refuge.
The album ends with an upbeat, loose, somewhat punk-style track, "Equus," which is supposedly a message of forgiveness to horses, but sounds to me like Makino thanking her patient bandmates with the line, "Allow me to show you the way which I adore you." It's an appropriate end to an eclectic, emotionally honest collection of music. The album isn't all brilliant, but at its best, it can soar in the stratosphere. I look forward to their future music. Three and a half stars.
Free Music Review: Ah, Blonde Redhead. Can they do no wrong?
Hit: 4 Stars
Remember that kid back in high school who tried on every music scene like a pair of pants? One day he's a hip-hopping skater, the next he's ska boy, then punk. One day he shows up in a rainbow parka, with beads and a pacifier dangling, a Sesame Street backpack, and football flags around his waist. "What?" You think, "Poser."A similar frustration can be experienced with bands that keep changing their sound. You think they've finally hit their mark, and then their next album comes out and it's being played on soft rock stations and car commercials nation wide. Thankfully, such is not the case with Blonde Redhead. Although they have taken a wide turn away from their previous material with their new album, "Misery is a Butterfly," the band has finally managed to step completely out of the shadow of Sonic Youth and to solidify their identity as one with a wholly unique and defining sound.
Blonde Redhead is comprised of Italian twins Amedeo and Simone Pace, and Kazu Makino, who skipped out of Kyoto, Japan to arrive in the states during the early `90s. The group has put out several albums, including their self-titled debut "Blonde Redhead," "La Mia Vita Violenta," and "Fake Can Be Just as Good." Their last release before "Misery..." was "Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons," which showcased maturation and a promise of good things to come. Well, kids, good things have come indeed.
Assumingly correlated with their switch from the label Smells Like Records to 4AD, the band has shed the beat up leather jacket of punk rock for a more gossamer cloak of floating strings, soft arpeggios, and ever-present synthesizers. But the softness isn't without an edge. Like smeared lipstick, the beauty comes with the tense, mildly dirty quality that been present in Blonde Redhead's music since their beginning.
The first single off of the album is the first track, "Elephant Woman." Beatles-esque cello and rhythmic chamber melodies roll and waver behind Makino's signature plaintive vocals. Sweet and mysterious enough to put a knot in the belly, this track sets the album's tone from the beginning.
Other noteworthy tracks include "Maddening Cloud" and "Equus." Characterized by a head swaying beat and Rhodes-like keyboard melodies, "Maddening Cloud" again showcases the vocal talents and contemplative lyrics of Kazu. "Why did you kill that poor old man, Melody? She said, he was never good to me. She said, he was never kind to me."
"Equus," sung by both Amedeo and Kazu, starts off with muted breathing and punctuated bass, overlaid with an interesting psychedelic synth sequence. More sporadic and less ambient than most of the other tracks, this song provides a much needed change of pace towards the end of the album.
Constant qualities of Misery include simplistic percussion, a medium pace, melancholy instrumentation, tasteful strings that neither swell to the point of movie soundtrack obnoxiousness nor build to a shattering climax, and a (very) subtle reminiscence of the darker, late `80's/early `90's sound of groups as the Cocteau Twins (also on 4ad), early Cure, and even a touch of Legendary Pink Dots.
While many of the tracks on this album sound similar to each other, and the element of "rock" is barely there, this album is sure to please both old and new fans alike. Rest assured, Blonde Redhead are no posers.