- Critic Score
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100The squeaky-clean production of Misery Is a Butterfly has been smudged, sanded, and weathered.
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It's an enthralling listen, proving once and for all that they deserve the wide success of fellow travelers like Radiohead and Sonic Youth.
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The softer focus fits them exceptionally well.
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This is the next record you have to buy. Absolutely. Unequivocally.
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90As with all Blonde Redhead albums, there is no real standout track to pinpoint. Instead, they've made a terrific progression from, and succeeded in the daunting task of following, 'Misery Is A Butterfly'.
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90It's a beautiful collection of songs, cinematic and powerful, never pushy. [Apr 2007, p.100]
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23 is mysterious and modern, with an artfully strange beauty that is more memorable than perfection.
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88The end result is a kind of low-flying elation that only these experienced noirists could deliver.
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85A delirious fever-dream of an album that continues to impress with each consecutive listen.
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23 is one of the more enjoyable musical experiences I have encountered this year.
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80The sound might be spacier and more panoramic, but there's still some grit in the mix. [May 2007, p.110]
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23's mannered downtown aura and etched elegance are sustained for its duration, marking it as one of the prolific band's finest to date. [Apr 2007, p.55]
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80It's a testament to their talent that by their seventh album they're still continuing to develop and reinvent themselves.
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8023 has a lack of contrast, and that is really its only flaw.
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80A sinister, slinky catwalk with sharper melodic angles and a propulsive, post-punk groove. [#75, p.99]
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23 is exactly what we've come to expect from this trio: a tension-filled exploration of the human psyche, blistering but still atmospheric.
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80"23" furthers the group's recent fascination with a sleeker presentation that favors sheen over squall.
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8023 is one of Blonde Redhead's strongest efforts to date, containing far more in the way of memorable melodies and songwriting subtleties than the band has previously exhibited.
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It's still style over substance in a lot of cases, but it manages to be so exciting while being so listenable that I think it demands repeated listens -- even if those are at cocktail parties.
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A weirdly entrancing collection of polished electronics and acoustic-guitar riffs layered like fruit in a parfait glass.
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70It's mostly a collection of decent tunes, polished to a blinding sheen.
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70Somewhere underneath all the high-gloss, ornamental swirlies and lacquered doilies are haphazardly camouflaged well-written songs.
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70Things grow richer and stranger as the album develops. [May 2007, p.87]
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70An impressive set. [May 2007, p.123]
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7023 is fundamentally a more interesting album than 04's Misery Is A Butterfly, neither as cartoonishly bleak nor as sonically pristine.
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When the energy is present, 23 is a strong, pleasant album that connects a number of dots in a way that belongs almost exclusively to Blonde Redhead.
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For those who found Misery to be an unfortunate turn towards the melodramatic, 23 will probably further disappoint in that it has all the indulgence of that record but few of its emotional peaks and valleys. [#17, p.82]
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60The muddy, unfocused production adds to a sense of missed opportunity. However, 23 has more than most seventh albums' share of otherworldly pop delights.
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So when the repetitive rhythms of 23 don't bowl you over like the first synth lines of Melody, allow yourself the opportunity to sit through its entirety. What you'll find is an album that reveals its true personality slowly, surely, and yes, lovingly.
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50Amedeo Pace's wailing, overemotive tenor invites the mess of Blonde Radiohead jokes the band will inevitably receive. [Apr 2007, p.86]
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 38 out of 39
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Mixed: 0 out of 39
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Negative: 1 out of 39
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RicardoC.9Beautiful, such a soft melody. And her voice fits perfectly.
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PatrickM.8Spring and By Summer Fall.... thats all i gotta say.
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EinarJ.8