23 is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Blonde Redhead. It released on April 10, 2007 by 4AD.
23 | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 10, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2006 | |||
Studio | Magic Shop, New York City
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Genre | ||||
Length | 43:23 | |||
Label | 4AD | |||
Producer | Blonde Redhead | |||
Blonde Redhead chronology | ||||
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Singles from 23 | ||||
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Background
edit23 was self-produced by Blonde Redhead.[9] The members of the band stated that while working on 23, they aimed to be more "spontaneous" in their songwriting; "for simplicity and clarity"; and to avoid overanalyzing their compositions.[9] Drummer Simone Pace said that he found it "nerve-wracking" to begin recording the album with only loose ideas for songs.[9] Mitchell Froom collaborated with Blonde Redhead for several days in the middle of the album's recording period, assisting the band on two tracks, "Silently" and "Top Ranking".[9]
Lead vocalist Kazu Makino admitted that making 23 "wasn't an entirely enjoyable experience", adding: "Without a producer, a referee, we could really get on each other's cases. It got intense."[9] Guitarist Amedeo Pace stated that the band was unsure of the album's direction until the mixing stage.[9]
Artist Alex Gross designed the album's cover art.[10]
Release
edit23 was released by the label 4AD on April 10, 2007 in the United States.[11] It debuted at number 63 on the American Billboard 200 albums chart, selling roughly 11,000 copies in its first week of release.[12] In the United Kingdom, the album was released on April 16, 2007.[11]
The track "23" was released on April 2, 2007 as a one-track 7-inch vinyl single.[13] "Silently" was released on May 28, 2007 as a digital EP featuring the additional tracks "(We Are a Real Team) Harry and I" and "Signs Along the Path",[14] and as a 7-inch vinyl single featuring an alternate version of "(We Are a Real Team) Harry and I" on the B-side.[15]
Melodie McDaniel directed the first official music video for "23".[16] Mike Mills directed music videos for five of the album's tracks: "23", "My Impure Hair", "Silently", "The Dress" and "Top Ranking".[17] The "Top Ranking" video stars actress Miranda July.[18]
Critical reception
editAggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 83/100[19] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The A.V. Club | A−[20] |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[6] |
The Guardian | [21] |
Mojo | [22] |
Pitchfork | 7.0/10[23] |
Q | [24] |
Spin | [8] |
Uncut | 8/10[25] |
Urb | [26] |
23 was met with critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 30 reviews.[19] Heather Phares of AllMusic noted that on 23, Blonde Redhead "trades the cloistered chamber rock" of their previous album Misery Is a Butterfly (2004) "for tone-bending dream pop and subtle electronics".[2] She found that "while the wide open spaces sound a little bare at first, this streamlined approach ends up making this Blonde Redhead's loveliest and most accessible work yet."[2] The A.V. Club's Michaelangelo Matos said that the band's stylistic shift toward a "softer" sound "fits them exceptionally well."[20] Entertainment Weekly critic Simon Vozick-Levinson praised 23 as "an enthralling listen, proving once and for all that they deserve the wide success of fellow travelers like Radiohead and Sonic Youth."[6]
Pitchfork's D. Shawn Bosler was more reserved in his praise, finding the songs on 23 to be "well-written" but overproduced.[23] Dave Simpson of The Guardian felt that the album is marred by "muddy, unfocused production", despite having "more than most seventh albums' share of otherworldly pop delights."[21] Joe Gross of Spin stated that the band lapses into "overheated ambience", and was particularly critical of Amedeo Pace's "wailing, overemotive" vocals.[8]
At the end of 2007, American webzine Somewherecold listed 23 as one of the year's best albums.[27] In 2016, Pitchfork ranked 23 as the 30th best shoegaze album of all time.[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Blonde Redhead (Kazu Makino, Amedeo Pace and Simone Pace)
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "23" | 5:18 |
2. | "Dr. Strangeluv" | 4:47 |
3. | "The Dress" | 4:00 |
4. | "SW" | 4:35 |
5. | "Spring and by Summer Fall" | 4:15 |
6. | "Silently" | 3:57 |
7. | "Publisher" | 4:01 |
8. | "Heroine" | 4:11 |
9. | "Top Ranking" | 3:27 |
10. | "My Impure Hair" | 4:52 |
Total length: | 43:23 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "(We Are a Real Team) Harry and I" | 8:03 |
Total length: | 51:26 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Signs Along the Path" | 3:45 |
12. | "(We Are a Real Team) Harry and I" | 8:03 |
Total length: | 55:11 |
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[10]
Blonde Redhead
- Kazu Makino
- Amedeo Pace
- Simone Pace
Additional musicians
- Chris Coady – robot voice on "Heroine"
- Morgan King – French horn on "SW"
- Skúli Sverrisson – bass
Production
- Blonde Redhead – production
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Chris Coady – recording
- Rich Costey – mixing
- Mitchell Froom – assistance on "Silently" and "Top Ranking"
- Eddie Jackson – engineering, editing
- Alan Moulder – mixing
- Andy Savours – engineering
- Brian Thorn – engineering
- Ted Young – engineering
Design
- Alexander Gelman – creative direction
- Alex Gross – artwork
- David Heasty – art direction
Charts
editChart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] | 52 |
Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[29] | 31 |
French Albums (SNEP)[30] | 77 |
Italian Albums (FIMI)[31] | 38 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[32] | 196 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] | 100 |
UK Albums (OCC)[34] | 152 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[35] | 13 |
US Billboard 200[36] | 63 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[37] | 4 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[38] | 20 |
References
edit- ^ Corcoran, Nina (2023-10-02). "Blonde Redhead's Kazu Makino on the Music That Made Her". Features. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ a b c d Phares, Heather. "23 – Blonde Redhead". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Katzif, Mike (September 5, 2010). "First Listen: Blonde Redhead, 'Penny Sparkle'". NPR Music. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ Howe, Brian (April 11, 2007). "Blonde Redhead – 23". Paste. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. October 24, 2016. p. 3. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ a b c Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 9, 2007). "23". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Purdum, Grant "Gumshoe" (April 9, 2007). "Blonde Redhead – 23". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c Gross, Joe (April 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Spin. Vol. 23, no. 4. p. 86. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Chick, Stevie. "Blonde Redhead Biography". blonderedhead23.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ a b 23 (liner notes). Blonde Redhead. 4AD. 2007. CAD 2717CD.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Blonde Redhead: About 23". blonderedhead23.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ Hasty, Katie (April 18, 2007). "'NOW' Remains No. 1 As Bright Eyes Debuts High". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Blonde Redhead: '23'". 4AD. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ "Silently – EP by Blonde Redhead". United States: Apple Music. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "Blonde Redhead: 'Silently'". 4AD. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ Gottlieb, Steven (May 1, 2007). "New Release: Blonde Redhead '23'". VideoStatic. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ Perez, Rodrigo (May 21, 2007). "Miranda July Stars In The New Mike Mills-Lensed Blonde Redhead Video; 4 More Clips Revealed". The Playlist. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ "Blonde Redhead and Miranda July". Paper. July 17, 2007. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ a b "23 by Blonde Redhead Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Matos, Michaelangelo (April 24, 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Simpson, Dave (April 13, 2007). "Blonde Redhead, 23". The Guardian. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Barnes, Mike (May 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Mojo. No. 162. p. 110.
- ^ a b Bosler, D. Shawn (April 11, 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Yates, Matt (May 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Q. No. 250. p. 123.
- ^ Pinnock, Tom (October 2016). "How to Buy... Blonde Redhead". Uncut. No. 233. p. 49.
- ^ Wasfie, Giselle Zado (April 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Urb. No. 145. p. 100.
- ^ Lamoreaux, Jason T. (December 30, 2007). "SWC Awards 2007". Somewherecold. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Blonde Redhead – 23" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Alternatieve Albums" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. May 5, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Blonde Redhead – 23". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Blonde Redhead – 23". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ "23 | ブロンド・レッドヘッド" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Blonde Redhead – 23". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: Darren B – David Byrne". Zobbel.de. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
- ^ "Blonde Redhead Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ "Blonde Redhead Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ "Blonde Redhead Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
External links
edit- 23 at Discogs (list of releases)
- 23 at MusicBrainz (list of releases)