Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons

Blonde Redhead

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 6, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Touch & Go Records
• ASIN: B00004SW9X
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,100 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
New York City's Blonde Redhead developed a reputation as Sonic Youth imitators, because their sound originally depended on the same discordant guitar points and sexless machinelike rhythms. But over the course of five albums, they've grown out of that heady shadow. Incorporating sinister keyboards, conventional melodic guitar lines, and a stronger grasp of songwriting ("Melody of Certain Three," among others, is hummable), Blonde Redhead is emerging from the underground rock world with a sound that mixes dissonant alt-rock ("For the Damaged") with space-age pop grace ("Ballad of Lemons") and orchestral ambitions ("Loved Despite Great Faults"). Mixed louder than the usual indie release, the atmospheric lead vocals of Kazu Makino bring the imagistic lyrics to the fore. "Hated Because of Great Qualities" builds into a teetering seesaw of notes while Makino admits, "It never meant a thing. So be it," with Godardian detachment. Definitely one of the more noteworthy bands that have slowly been growing into a diverse and formidable act. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, March 7, 2002

By	g cooper (New York City) - See all my reviews

i was introduced to blonde redhead's music only this year, and i have discovered a plethora of some of the most expressive and different music i have ever heard in all of their albums. if i had so name my favorite contemporary band, blonde redhead is definitely it.

the songs on, 'melody of certain damaged lemons,' are quite different stylistically from one another, but fit together in a fabulous way, one that has only been equalled by such bands as sonic youth and stereolab. the album starts off with a short ambient piece, 'equally damaged,' but then goes into the sparse and tricky beats of, 'in particular,' which is an immediately magnetic track. kazu's vocals achieve the baby-doll quality she enjoys playing with, and it is one of the strongest songs on the album.

it is after this song, however, that the album really achieves perfection. 'melody of certain three,' is more of the wonderfully dissonant and loud br. from pre 'an expression of the inexpressible,' albums. 'hated because of great faults,' is another spare piece from kazu, and it's a lovely track. it is the next song that really takes the cake though, 'loved despite of great faults.' amadeo sings perhaps his loveliest song to date, and never stops revealing more noises the more you listen.

all the other songs complement the album equally. 'ballad of lemons,' is another short-ish electronic piece, 'this is not,' expands upon the bands often 60's influences by making a song that puts even serge gainsbourg to shame, 'a cure,' is a strange, wandering piece, 'for the damaged,' is a piano based lullabye, and 'mother' is a loud, punk song.

this album is truly a landmark in the bands history. upon listening to it, one wonders how much wonderful it can get...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing album, August 29, 2005

By	Retes Velo (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

Most bands write songs. With Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, Blonde Redhead wrote and album. All the songs were masterfully put together. When you sit down to listen to this album, the songs blend in, creating juxtoposition or accentuating the previous song's great qualities. Kazu Makino's voice is hypnotic, a voice that can easily be compared to Thom Yorke's. The solitary piano in "mother" is intricately laced with her voice, and produces a great ending to the album. An amazing must have, music came back to life for me when i heard this album. Captivating from start to finish, you will not regret purchasing this album.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not At First, but THEN...., June 29, 2001

By	Eric Swanger (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

I really like Blonde Redhead. Yes-there are similarities to Sonic Youth and many others, but I think they are more consistantly great than many of their elders. I really loved In An Expression of the Inexpressible...they were beginning to experiment with all sorts of recorded noises and textures. And then Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons came out last year and I wasnt really that into it. I didnt buy the CD. I dont remember what my complaint was, but it took me seeing them perform the new material live for me to really like this album. Id seen them live before many times, but this time the music was really tight and very layered. And I LOVE her voice...it quakes and whispers in such a way, making it so recognizable and particularly fierce. Her singing on this album is by far her best...with some great sexed-up power and longing in her voice and some incredible tunes to accompany...namely "In Particular" and "For the Damaged." But my favorite song by leaps and bounds is "Loved Despite of Great Faults." With lyrics like "You will move with me...we will stay still, and words will move around us" -its very difficult to not be in awe. The use of an acoustic guitar here is unusual for them I think, but very beautiful, and his singing is pretty sexy and raggedy. I think its nice to have a record grow on you sometimes, because it suprises you in a way that is very refreshing. Its a great new step for BR. I think they are a really great art-rock band that has a lot of suprises still bunched up their sleeve. But please go see them live if you havent...if you dont believe now, you will afterwords.