23 (Blonde Redhead album)

23
Studio album by Blonde Redhead
Released April 10, 2007 (2007-04-10)
Genre Dream pop, nu-gaze
Length 43:23
Label 4AD
Producer Blonde Redhead
Blonde Redhead chronology
Misery Is a Butterfly
(2004)		 23
(2007)		 Penny Sparkle
(2010)
Singles from 23
  1. "23"
    Released: April 2, 2007
  2. "Silently"
    Released: May 28, 2007
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Cokemachineglow(79%)[3]
Glorious Noise(recommended)[4]
Pitchfork Media(7.0/10)[5]
Rocklouder[6]
Robert Christgau[7]
Stylus MagazineA[8]
Tiny Mix Tapes[9]
Comfort Comes(9/10)[10]

23 is the seventh studio album by Blonde Redhead. Released on April 10, 2007, it debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number 63, selling roughly 11,000 copies in its first week.[11]

Background

The album is the first the band self-produced, with additional assistance provided by Crowded House-producer Mitchell Froom on two tracks, "Silently" and "Top Ranking". In a press release accompanying the album, the band members acknowledged their goals to be more spontaneous in their song-writing, to aim for simplicity and clarity, and to create additional tensions. Drummer Simone Pace said he found it nerve-wracking to enter the studio with only loose ideas for songs. Singer Kazu Makino admitted it "wasn't an entirely enjoyable experience. Without a producer, a referee, we could really get on each other's cases. It got intense."

The bandmates admitted that until they reached the mixing stage they were unsure what direction the album was taking.

Simone said it "sounds fresh because we are exploring new things. We get tired of doing the same thing all the time, so we search for other things to do."

The music video for single "Top Ranking" was directed by Mike Mills, and guests director/writer/actress/artist Miranda July as the main, and only, character. At the start of the video it says "One pose per second." Following that we view July for the duration striking a different pose every second, creating the effect of a living statue.

Artist Alex Gross created the album's cover art, "The Tragedy".

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "23"   5:18
2. "Dr. Strangeluv"   4:47
3. "The Dress"   4:00
4. "S.W"   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

Singles

Chart positions

Weekly

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 52
Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 34
French Albums (SNEP)[13] 77
Italian Albums (FIMI)[14] 30
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[15] 196
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 100
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 152
US Billboard 200[18] 63
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[18] 4

Year-end

Chart (2007) Position
Italian Albums (FIMI)[14] 194

References

  1. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/music/23/blonde-redhead
  2. ↑ Allmusic review
  3. ↑ Cokemachineglow review
  4. ↑ Glorious Noise review
  5. ↑ Pitchfork Media review
  6. ↑ Rocklouder review
  7. ↑ Robert Christgau review
  8. ↑ Stylus Magazine review
  9. ↑ Tiny Mix Tapes review
  10. ↑ Comfort Comes review
  11. ↑ Katie Hasty, "'NOW' Remains No. 1 As Bright Eyes Debuts High", Billboard.com, April 18, 2007.
  12. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Blonde Redhead – 23" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Blonde Redhead – 23". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  14. 1 2 "2007: Altri Albums" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "23" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Blonde Redhead – 23". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "CHART: CLUK Update 28.04.2007 (wk16)". zobbel.de. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  18. 1 2 "23 Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 1 July 2014.

External links

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