The oft-used comparison to
Sonic Youth doesn't really hold a lot of water, as
Blonde Redhead's music has always been a bit less swirling, more spontaneous, and rougher around the edges. Further differentiating them from
Sonic Youth is their bass-less approach.
In an Expression of the Inexpressible, their fourth release, is as uncompromising as
Fake Can Be Just as Good and
La Mia Vita Violenta, but this time
Blonde Redhead wanted to be produced by someone outside the band. The sound is fuller and more polished, and in the capable hands of producers
John Goodmanson and
Guy Picciotto (of
Fugazi fame), they've never sounded quite as good. Still,
Kazu Makino's high-pitched,
Björk-ish vocals can get irritating at times, and the two guitars never quite reach a compelling level of interplay.
Blonde Redhead, who sometimes are too clever for their own good, could, in fact, learn a great deal from
Sonic Youth, since most of the tracks never come across with much urgency. [A Japanese reissue of the CD contains bonus tracks.] ~ Matthew Hilburn