The japanese lass with her norks in the hands of a pair of italian twins is Kazu Makino. She is from Kyoto, Japan. The 2 chaps having a grope are Simone and Amedeo Pace. They were born and bred in Italy. The 3 of them live in New York and form the band Blonde Redhead.... as you do.

This is the second time that Blonde Redhead have graced these pages. Back in late 2002 we described them thusly...

"Impress your artsy friends with music from this noise-art/prog-rock band. Sounds bloody weird at first but the hooks sink in after repeated listens.

Pretentious, inaccessable wankery? Maybe.
Great, catchy songs? Definitely"

With their 2004 album, Misery is a Butterfly. Blonde Redhead have made their most accessible album to date (is that a little too cliche for a site trying hard not to be NME?). Gone are the minimalist keys and guitars loops. In their place are lush and layered strings and dense arrangements that sit alongside the earnest if not always refined soprano of Makino. If its your plan to get into Blonde Redhead so you have a conversation starter when hanging out with pretentious indie rock wankers then this new album might have spoilt that. Misery is a Butterfly has recieved quite some critical acclaim and is getting a bit of radio play.

But dont let that stop you. This is a great album and artsy indie wankers are boring to hang out with anyway. 4 out of 5 stars. Or something.

Blonde Redhead - Elephant Women 256Kbps, 8.94 mb
Blonde Redhead - Doll Is Mine 256Kbps, 7.12 mb
Blonde Redhead - Maddening Cloud 256Kbps, 8.41 MB