Search - Blonde Redhead :: In an Expression of the Inexpressible

Sounds like they just wanted to destroy something beautiful

Luke Rounda | Lawrence, KS | 04/20/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For me, Blonde Redhead at their best conjures images of deranged looking Japanese scientists in pristine white lab coats hovering over my hospital bed, grinning like Cheshire kittens whilst allowing the hypodermic needles in their hands to drip some kind of poison onto the floor.



Let's put the Sonic Youth comparisons to rest by just saying that for one, Kazu Makino whomps Kim Gordon's ass as far as listenability goes, and for some that might be saying something. Kazu's ability to pitch her voice up into that weird hesitate-to-call-it-a-falsetto-but-for-lack-of-a-better-word thing she does is a big part of the magnetism of Blonde Redhead's unique sound.



The best moments on this record come when Blonde Redhead are at their most twistedly melodic. The overdriven miasma of guitar that is "Distilled" will lope through your head for days like a wounded deer; "Suimasen" is surgeon's background music for a back alley abortion; "Futurism vs. Passeism Pt. 2" is a floaty, repetitive sound collage of guitar spackled with spoken word snippets doctored up to sound like they were pulled from the AM radio waves.



The worst moments on this record comprise the entire 6:00 or so of the title track, "In An Expression of the Inexpressible," and the rest of the album is fairly hit-or-miss.



They're not the most consistent of bands -- as others have said, they lend themselves more to mixtapes than anything else. As ridiculous as it seems to suggest, a 'Best Of,' done well, would encapsulate them better than any of their albums proper. As it is, though, they are one of few bands out there worth exploring despite their inconsistency.



Their latest, "Misery is a Butterfly" has very little guitar but is still quite listenable and considerably poppier than this record. If "In An Expression..." didn't fly your kite, try "Butterfly.""

Groovy

Vegetable Apocalypse | Tucson AZ | 11/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I dont think the Sonic Youth comparisons are really accurate, this band has a sound of their own. I would recomend it to anyone that likes My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab or (yeah) Sonic Youth"