The Blonde Redhead back catalogue, I’m afraid to say, has passed me by. For one reason or another I’ve never heard a single note they’ve played until this found it’s way onto my CD player. If any of it is half as good as this, I might have found my new favourite band.

From the opening chords of 23 I was mesmerised. The title track starts the whole process, dreamy guitars and scattered drums create a backdrop for some ethereal vocals which slowly drift around your head. The guitars whirr and slosh around, mixed with those vocals they remind me of the Cocteau Twins, the words not as obtuse, but still hard to decifier. It’s a brilliant opening track and one that sets the bar exceedingly high that you’re left thinking whether they can keep this up, but they do. The gentle shuffle of Dr. Strangelove comes next, the vocals still high and atmospheric in nature, the basic guitar riff leading the song as other entwining guitars immerge and crossover with each other. What makes this album so great is it’s ying and yang approach, from the dreamy start you get the aggressive and sinister Spring And By Summer Fall, the guitars burst out, the tempo is raised, the vocals now male and more rooted on this Earth. That doesn’t stop the more ethereal vocals chiming in to help drag it somewhere else, but it’s staying put. The chugging riff rooted in the shade. The next three tracks are influenced more by electronica; Silenty, Publisher and Heroine are all delicate butterflies of songs, floating gently through an air of angelic harmonies and gentle rhythms, bringing to mind carefree times and summer sunshine. And that’s it. A short, but nonetheless sweet, forty minute journey comes to an end. Like a coach trip through some alpine retreat, it’s left you feeling lifted and suitably refreshed.

This is a gloriously executed album. It fuses a whole host of influences to create a album that feels light, fresh and different. With the current indie scene dominated by guys with guitars it’s great to hear something genuinely and refreshingly new. So what if they’ve been around for a while? That doesn’t mean that a band can’t finally make a breakthrough and awaken the world to something finally worth listening to.
80%

Links
Blonde Redhead [official site] [myspace]