Blonde Redhead's Penny Sparkle

(Originally written for and published in the September issue of "Eleven," a St. Louis music magazine)

Blonde Redhead doesn’t care what you think about them; after all, this is the same band that responded to the no-wave hype of Misery is a Butterfly with 23, trading artpop for ethereal meandering. Though the leap from 23 to Penny Sparkle isn’t as unfathomable, it represents a sonic shift nonetheless.

Penny Sparkle plods along to echoic guitars in minor keys, oozing Blonde Redhead’s one constant: lamentation. Though Kazu’s lyrics aren’t always discernible, bits and pieces are enough to flesh out the motif. “Everything is wrong here” she complains on the eighth track, so she seeks escape, both literal (“Oslo” and “Spain”) and metaphorical (“Love or Prison”). “My Plants are Dead” is certainly the highlight of the album, sounding something like a My Bloody Valentine and Metric mash-up, with Kazu’s delicate voice and sleek electronics ornately empowering the guitar-driven melody.

The album can be seen as a variation on 23’s theme; think “Dr. Strangeluv” if the synths were toned down and the guitars more cryptic. “Here Sometimes,” the already-released opener, seems to be the band’s manifesto: “This is me, completely me,” suggesting that our concept of Blonde Redhead should evolve with the band’s concept of themselves. If you aren’t off-put by their boldness in regeneration, you’ll be rewarded by Penny Sparkle.