Wikipedia

23 (Blonde Redhead album)

"Dr. Strangeluv" redirects here. Not to be confused with Dr. Strangelove.

23 is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Blonde Redhead. It released on April 10, 2007 by 4AD.

23
Studio album by
Blonde Redhead
ReleasedApril 10, 2007 (2007-04-10)
Recorded2006
StudioMagic Shop, New York City
  • Stay Gold, New York City
Genre
Length43:23
Label4AD
ProducerBlonde Redhead
Blonde Redhead chronology
The Secret Society of Butterflies
(2005) 		23
(2007) 		Penny Sparkle
(2010)
Singles from 23
  1. "23"
    Released: April 2, 2007
  2. "Silently"
    Released: May 28, 2007

Background

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23 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

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23 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

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[19]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
The A.V. ClubA−[20]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[6]
The Guardian     [21]
Mojo     [22]
Pitchfork7.0/10[23]
Q     [24]
Spin     [8]
Uncut8/10[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

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All tracks are written by Blonde Redhead (Kazu Makino, Amedeo Pace and Simone Pace)

No.TitleLength
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
iTunes Store edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."(We Are a Real Team) Harry and I"8:03
Total length:51:26
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Signs Along the Path"3:45
12."(We Are a Real Team) Harry and I"8:03
Total length:55:11

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[10]

Blonde Redhead

  • Kazu Makino
  • Amedeo Pace
  • Simone Pace

Additional musicians

Production

Design

Charts

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Chart (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

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  1. ^ Corcoran, Nina (2023-10-02). "Blonde Redhead's Kazu Makino on the Music That Made Her". Features. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  2. ^ a b c d Phares, Heather. "23 – Blonde Redhead". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  3. ^ Katzif, Mike (September 5, 2010). "First Listen: Blonde Redhead, 'Penny Sparkle'". NPR Music. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  4. ^ Howe, Brian (April 11, 2007). "Blonde Redhead – 23". Paste. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. October 24, 2016. p. 3. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 9, 2007). "23". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  7. ^ Purdum, Grant "Gumshoe" (April 9, 2007). "Blonde Redhead – 23". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Gross, Joe (April 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Spin. Vol. 23, no. 4. p. 86. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b 23 (liner notes). Blonde Redhead. 4AD. 2007. CAD 2717CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ a b "Blonde Redhead: About 23". blonderedhead23.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  12. ^ Hasty, Katie (April 18, 2007). "'NOW' Remains No. 1 As Bright Eyes Debuts High". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  13. ^ "Blonde Redhead: '23'". 4AD. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  14. ^ "Silently – EP by Blonde Redhead". United States: Apple Music. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Blonde Redhead: 'Silently'". 4AD. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  16. ^ Gottlieb, Steven (May 1, 2007). "New Release: Blonde Redhead '23'". VideoStatic. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "Blonde Redhead and Miranda July". Paper. July 17, 2007. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  19. ^ a b "23 by Blonde Redhead Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Matos, Michaelangelo (April 24, 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Simpson, Dave (April 13, 2007). "Blonde Redhead, 23". The Guardian. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  22. ^ Barnes, Mike (May 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Mojo. No. 162. p. 110.
  23. ^ a b Bosler, D. Shawn (April 11, 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  24. ^ Yates, Matt (May 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Q. No. 250. p. 123.
  25. ^ Pinnock, Tom (October 2016). "How to Buy... Blonde Redhead". Uncut. No. 233. p. 49.
  26. ^ Wasfie, Giselle Zado (April 2007). "Blonde Redhead: 23". Urb. No. 145. p. 100.
  27. ^ Lamoreaux, Jason T. (December 30, 2007). "SWC Awards 2007". Somewherecold. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  28. ^ "Ultratop.be – Blonde Redhead – 23" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  29. ^ "Alternatieve Albums" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. May 5, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – Blonde Redhead – 23". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  31. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Blonde Redhead – 23". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  32. ^ "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.
  33. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Blonde Redhead – 23". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  34. ^ "Chart Log UK: Darren B – David Byrne". Zobbel.de. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  35. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  36. ^ "Blonde Redhead Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  37. ^ "Blonde Redhead Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  38. ^ "Blonde Redhead Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
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