It's been nearly a decade since the last proper Blonde Redhead album. In that time, the band -- brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace, and Kazu Makino -- have offered up a compilation of their early years. And right before lockdown, Kazu served up a fine solo record. But the trio's back now with Sit Down for Dinner, out this week.
"Kiss Her Kiss Her" is a wisp of a composition, but a lovely one. Kazu lets it nearly drift into the air, while "Not for Me" is even more layered. Keyboard washes anchor this under Amedeo's vocals, while the tune winds its way back and forth. Even better is the supple "Melody Experiment" which uses a similar push-and-pull melodic figure under eerie synths and Kazu's evocative vocals. There's an almost jazz-like intuition at work here, with the hook of the song being pushed by a faint new idea or two near the song's fade out. The players let this material breathe and expand, even as the entirety of Sit Down for Dinner is full of the sort of atmospheric precision that made 2004's Misery is a Butterfly a masterpiece.
The three musicians here have a sense of what to leave out. There's space on the best tracks for Kazu's voice, and the production is rarely intrusive. Pieces of sounds -- keyboards, a simple drum-pattern, treated guitars -- are all over the place, but used in an almost minimalist sense. "I Thought You Should Know", a real highlight here, lets Amedeo's voice seep into the cut at a languid pace, keeping up with the piano-lines that sort of nudge the selection forward. The song is autumnal in a sense, the sound of resignation or relief after some effort. It's a beautiful piece of music, and in its nearly-symphonic effect, it's the sort of thing that only Blonde Redhead can offer.
Blonde Redhead have offered up something special here with Sit Down for Dinner. The music is spacious and moving, with an overall effect that's compelling in its awareness of mood and force. There's something almost sad here, like when a poignant film ends, but the trio have a deftness of touch that digs into that feeling and recreates it with rhythm and tone and voice. This is a record that one doesn't so much get lost in, as make time for. It deserves to be listened to -- carefully and attentively -- in one sitting. There's a warmth here that's rare to find in music that is a bit adventurous. And the trio's efforts to chart their own path are to be applauded. This is a superb album.
Sit Down for Dinner from Blonde Redhead is out on Friday. Details at the band's official website, and below.
[Photo: Charles Billot]