Blonde Redhead - Barragán (2014)

 

Dream Pop / Neo-Psychedelia

RIYL: Deerhoof, Broadcast, Bar Italia

★★★★

Barragán is the black sheep of the Blonde Redhead family, and not just because of the cover’s dark shadows and somewhat horrifying central animal figurine. I've never quite understood why the album was so reviled by fans and critics alike on its release, since to me it holds up to the high standard set by Misery is a Butterfly and 23 at the band’s peak, but perhaps it has something to do with the drastic shift in style away from lush motorik art-rock (which is still present but only on centerpiece "Mind to Be Had") toward more delicate, subdued arrangements of spooky avant-pop.

This transition didn’t entirely come out of nowhere, though, as to me it sounds like a logical next step after 2010's lullaby medley Penny Sparkle, but it certainly distances the band even further away from their '90s roots steeped in noisy dissonance and post-hardcore a la Sonic Youth. Instead we get intricate and fragile music box melodies that sound like they could fall apart at any moment, as if broken toys from ages past have been reanimated by playful spirits. A sense of melancholy pervades the record, and though the robustness of the band's prior iteration has all but been whittled away, Barragán makes for a unique noir mood piece that will comfortably nestle into their discography if you'll only invite it inside.