BLONDE REDHEAD – Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons – CD – TG216CD

As the story goes, the group was named after a song by an ’80s New York City band called DNA. They are also often compared to Sonic Youth, perhaps partly because Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley released their debut on his label Smells Like Records. I can see how the comparisons to the legendary no-wave band can be made, but to me, Sonic Youth is less accessible in their over-the-edge experimentation (i.e., A Thousand Leaves and Daydream Nation). In contrast, Blonde Redhead over the years has been consistent in the kind of music they produce. They are in tune with their listeners because they are in tune with what kind of music they want to create. Their music is inexplicable only in the sense that it’s mind-blowing a band can birth such beguiling tracks album after album.

PopMatters Staff / PopMatters