Album Review: Sit Down for Dinner by Blonde Redhead

[food metaphor] Blonde Redhead have long held a reputation for remaining cold-eyed and oblique even when they veer into the most uncomfortable emotional territory. Even today, Misery is a Butterfly in particular is almost disconcertingly unflinching in its engagement with trauma, disfigurement and perversion, respectively; their work since has been anything from guarded to cryptic to outright icy in its perusal of whichsoever indie/shoegaze/chamber palettes were called for at the time. However, their latest record Sit Down for Dinner subtly adjusts the frame on this image, laying down many of the band's least imposing and, in their way, warmest tracks to date, all while espousing the fundamentals that ultimately mark them out as a truly excellent band: disciplined songwriting, a knack for compellingly brittle vocal melodies that go hand-in-hand with the group's unorthodox inflections, and inventive, if understated, percussion parts.

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Since their debut in 1995, Blonde Redhead have epitomized the definition of indie rock. Always marching to the beat of their own drummer, the band has avoided pigeonholing by following their instincts instead of following trends and experimenting and exploring varied musical landscapes with each release while creating a distinctive and interesting indie rock sound. They perhaps peaked with 2007's 23 and/or 2010's Penny Sparkle; both excellent albums that perfectly combine ethereal sweeping cinematic soundscapes and delicate electronics, with dreamy pop melodies and beguiling vocals.

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