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I rarely -- in fact, never -- spend the days before an anticipated rock
show listening to the band. I grew out of that routine in my
late teens. But in advance of Blonde Redhead's sold-out Montreal show on
the first, brisk night of the Easter holiday weekend, I found myself walking
around the city listening to nothing other than the group's brilliant
Misery Is A Butterfly. Presently sitting atop my imaginary list of
the year's best releases, this album has consumed me for weeks and I was
curious to see how the huge, orchestral-sounding compositions would come
across in the hands of the humble art-rock trio.
I was astonished at the trio's ability to re-cast the songs from the new
album and re-invigorate the best of their back catalogue in such a way that
the varied history of their sound became a cohesive, strident whole.
Clever use of sequencers and guitar samplers aided singer-guitarist Kazu
Makino and singer-guitarist Amedeo Pace in their construction of a sturdy
wall of sound, while drummer Simone Pace (Amedeo's twin) nearly stole the
show with a drumming display that regularly challenged the fundamental
mechanics of human physiology. Contrary to some reviewers' opinions of his
contribution to Misery Is A Butterfly, Simone is not simply a
time-keeper, but rather a crucial color in the Blonde Redhead palette, and
he demonstrated the leading role he plays in the band with every brush
stroke, each rim shot, and his cool precision.
New stand-outs "Anticipation" and "Misery Is A Butterfly" became ethereal
siren songs; the resplendent Kazu stirred and swooned at centre stage, the microphone pressed up against lips hidden by a tangle of long hair.
"Doll Is Mine" provided Amedeo with his own pedestal on which to stand,
taking the album version's chamber-rock cum Castlevania sound in a
direction that underscored the composition's frenzied nature. The new
album, produced by Guy Picciotto, is every bit as slinky and sexy as the
Fugazi guitarist in part responsible for its creation. (Those of you who
have seen Fugazi live need no further explanation of this allusion. For the
uninitiated, it should suffice to say that Picciotto is equal parts Elvis
Presley and Prince, making love to his guitar for the duration of the set
night-in and night-out.) Accordingly, it came as no sunrise to see Kazu and Amedeo
doing their very best Picciotto impersonation for the full ninety-plus
minutes of their performance. It was often downright hot.
Overall, the "classic" Blonde Redhead sound was represented well by the
set, which featured songs from La Mia Vita Violenta, the album the band
themselves consider to be the nearest in spirit to the new material. However, it
was clear to everyone in attendance that the group has found a freedom and
an increased level of commitment to the songs and the sounds on display on
Misery Is A Butterfly. The new album was performed almost in its
entirety, and the pacing and sequencing of the material was such that Kazu and
Amedeo were essentially taking turns singing. Kazu split her time evenly
between singing, playing keyboards and rocking out with a guitar alongside
Amedeo. First single "Elephant" didn't appear until the very end of their
set, while the sublime "Messenger" opened the show and delayed Kazu's
first vocal performance until "In Particular" from the cooler-than-you
Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons. The band concluded their encore,
and the show, with the terribly pretty "Magic Mountain", once again
showcasing Kazu's bookish charisma, showering the audience with rolling
waves of reverberating keys and guitar.
With a little less than nine months to go before year-end best-of lists (Not here, though -- Ed.),
there is almost no doubt in my mind that both Misery Is A Butterfly
and Blonde Redhead's performance at Club Soda will remain comfortably ahead
of the pack.
Article and photos by Mike Baker.
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