Blonde Redhead Are Back!

The iconic underground trio have a new album coming out April 10th called 23. It's been three years since their previous 2004 release, Misery Is A Butterfly, the longest gap between albums since Misery and 2000's Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons. The first delay was due to the recovery time needed after leading lady Kazu Makino was trampled by a horse (which also inevitably lead to the numerous equestrian references in their last album, such as the song "Equus" and their video for "Melody" below). One can only stipulate as to the reasonings behind the delay in 23, but who cares because it's almost here!

I've listened to the new album a few times already. It maintains Makino's recognizable, eerie soprano voice, but aside from this, Blonde Redhead is straying slightly from their signature sound and venturing further into shoegazer territory. Regardless, Makino and the twins, Simone and Amedeo Pace, have created another beautiful album that is both melodic, lush, dark and laden with guitar-driven walls of sound. Another interesting aspect is Amedeo. The guitarist sings lead vocals on several songs more than he ever has previously, thus adding a Muse-like quality to the album.

Blonde Redhead is on tour now. They'll be playing Webster Hall on May 8th (a much larger venue than Barnie's Co-Op where I last saw them play). And for those of you who can't wait until next Tuesday, you can listen to five tracks off of 23 HERE.