Blonde Redhead - 23

Blonde Redhead
23
(2007, 4ad/Ada)
9.5/10

Once again here's an album we should have reviewed a lot sooner. 23 has already seen an abundance of overwhelmingly good reviews for this album, but for some reason I find it necessary to add mine now. Honestly, good thing I am reviewing this late cause I would have given it a very different score when it first came out. Having been a huge fan of BR's previous releases, 23 was an instant disappointment, and I didn't bother spending much time with the album. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I decided to pick it up again and give it another chance, this time trying not to compare it to their older work, but instead listening to it as its own entity. Proving myself wrong seems to be a hobby of mine. This album started to grow like a cancer until it completely consumed me. Forget the punk edge, bass, and angst of the older albums, 23 is a warm mystical dream, untouched, pure and pristine. The delicate melodies and electronic sheets of sound pared with the relentless drum rhythms turn melancholy to heroic in an everchanging beautiful lush soundscape. The male vocals have greatly improved and rival Kazu Makino's in ghostly quality. The album is equally good the entire way through. (something that has never before happened with a BR album) There is no filler here, just ethereal, strangely soft, dream pop thrillers. I wouldn't have guessed it, but this has become my favorite complete album by BR.

-Sassigrass