It feels like Blonde Redhead have been around forever. They haven’t, but to be fair to me, it is around nine years, and for an indie band that’s a fair length. Over that time they’ve drifted in and out of my life with passing phases of enthusiasm and apathy, and eventually I just stopped thinking about them anymore. That was until late last year when the word broke that they’ve signed to 4AD and will have a new album out on March 15.
Admittedly, that’s still a little bit away, but I got a tiny bit excited about the track ‘Misery is a Buttefly’, which has been made available on the 4AD website. It just didn’t sound like I expected, and it’s the first time in a while that I’ve heard an artist that sounds like it fits roughly with the style of 4AD from the early to late ’90s, which was the period that eventually turned me a little obsessive.
Another comparison thrown up by ‘Misery is a Butterfly’, are some minor reflections from early Sneaker Pimps. Not that it sounds like Blonde Redhead were influenced by Sneaker Pimps at all. No, no. This is much darker. It’s all down to the mood, though, and how it seems like there is a string quartet shuffling awkwardly from side to side behind your back whenever you listen to this on headphones. With the ethereal vocals of Kazu Makino cushioned somewhere in the middle, it combines to create a very classy sound.
Website: http://www.4ad.com/artists/blonderedhead
Steven McCarron
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