Blonde Redhead Album: “Melodie Citronique”

If you are planning to get into Blonde Redhead... start somewhere else. "Melodie Citronique" is pretty much a goodie bag EP for fans who already know what they are getting into, rather than a sampling of their work. It's a pleasant listen, but their forays into French and Italian stumble.

It opens with a pair of non-English tracks from their "Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons." "En Particular," the eerily poppy French version of "In Particular," opens the album, followed by the sultry "Odiata per le Sue Virtú" ("Hated Because Of Great Qualities"). These are solid enough songs, but vocalist Kazu Makino sounds rather awkward when she sings in these songs, as if she isn't quite sure how to enunciate the words.

It's followed up by another Italian song, the sidewalk-cafe folk of "Chi é e non é" ("Who Is and Who Is Not"), and a thumpy, trippy experiment in sound, "Slogan." The last song is the only one in English: A spacey, haunted-house remix of "Four Damaged Lemons."

Blonde Redhead is well-known for its mixture of the graceful and gritty, which serves them well in this EP. The sole problem is Makino singing in French and Italian. She doesn't botch the songs, and she has a pretty, clear voice. But she sounds vocally clumsy with the song lyrics. It only gets worse as the album goes in; in "Slogan," her singing just sounds laborious.

It's not really a good introduction to the band, since these are not the most obvious or accessable songs. But they do make outstanding use of sweet piano, solid guitar and percussion, and keyboards that can spawn sonic sweeps, or turn the sound into a muddy, foggy mass of overhanging white noise.

"Melodie Citronique" is a fun listen for the fans of this band, but Makino's awkward delivery is a stumbling point. Even so, it's a pretty and offbeat EP.

It's beyond language, of course. A Japanese singer and Italian twins plays French songs in New York - it would have to be, really. Yet although it would certainly be in keeping with Blonde Redhead's art abstractions to leave a blank space in tribute to this record, those of us less prone to wordless transcendence would like that opportunity to say, "What the hell was that?" For all their reputation as Sonic Youth's more humorless offspring - and God, that's REALLY working hard at not smiling - the first track here makes you wonder if they've missed an "I" out of their first name. "En Particulier" (the French version of "In Particuler" from their last album "Melody...")is nothing less than cubist Blondie, Kazu Makino lullabying through a glass-hearted rapture that's almost, ALMOST, like pop. This is followed by the Italian version of the any-storm-in-a-port "Hated Because of Great Qualities", a gauzy, unsettling flutter through Serge Gainsbourg's "Slogan", and a music-box remix of "For the Damaged." All excellent, all as clear as mud. Yet through all the scrambled syntax, the encrypted emotions, they're always discussing the possibilities, and most preciously, reminding you what they are. So go on, go mad. Namecheck Pasolini. Speak five languages. Title a song called "Four Damaged Lemons." An remember, it's only pretentious if it doesn't work

This ep is awesome, its has kazu singing in French, italian, and english. And the third song, sung by amedeo is soo beautiful, even if i can't understand it. Just get this now!!!

It's not what to buy if you're looking for a sing along, but anyone who buys Blonde Redhead probably isn't looking for such an album anyway. You COULD sing with it if you know Italian and French or have a lot of time and patience.

The melodies, as usual, are haunting. The two new songs are quite catchy. Chi E E Non E will, I guarantee, be stuck in your head all day. Slogan is a real foot-tapper. The remix of For the Damaged is beautiful but tends to last a little too long. The run-together Italian words in 'Odiata' will first make you smile and then make you wish you knew Italian, because it would be really fun to be able to sing with it.

Buy this album if you already love B.R. It's a good price, and you won't be disappointed, especially with Chi E and Slogan.

This music is beautiful! By far Blonde Redhead's best work. I'll admit I'm a sucker for a song in a foriegn language, but I think Blonde Redhead just sounds better in French and Italian. The songs in English are good too...you can't hide a great melody with any language. I saw them play a few of these songs in english at their Coney Island show last summer. I'd love to find this one on vinyl, as cds are worthless plastic copies. Music this great makes it worth the price at least this time though.