Blonde Redhead
Penny Sparkle
4AD (2010)
why you'll love it - Very pretty music, wonderful vocals
why you'll hate it - No versatility, lacks impact
When I was young, the last thing I wanted to see a band do was go soft. When the major labels got their claws into my favorite ska/punk bands, the sudden radio friendly high production outputs confused me to no end. Now that I'm older and understand the virtue in creating modestly produced music that isn't 100mph and three minutes long, aging gracefully is what I secretly hope all of my favorite bands do.
The past 10 years of Blonde Redhead haven't been what I originally signed up for. The distortion and feedback are gone, Kazu never raises her voice anymore, and the music has been increasingly mellow… but I'm cool with it. Recent efforts by Bad Religion and Devo have taught me that energy is attainable at an old age, and Blonde Redhead is obviously choosing to sound more like Interpol than their no-wave roots.
So, I'm torn. I love their choice to be melodic, but it feels like Penny Sparkle narrows down their talent a bit too much. The first two songs have an impact, due to the addition of electronics; but the rest of the album never strays. It feels like every song on the album is competing to be the same thing. The variety that made 23 (2007) such a triumph simply is not here. We're left hearing only one side of usually engrossing band. It's a very pretty side, but not the full package.
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