Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons

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Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons album cover
Album Information
EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 11   Total Length: 39:26

eMusic Review 0

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Yancey Strickler

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
Accessible, addictive, amazing.
Label: Touch And Go

The only reason Blonde Redhead don't rule the world is a simple lack of self-importance. Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons is a remarkable record — accessible, addictive, amazing — and yet it never seems particularly insistent on stressing that fact. Captivating melodies float by without fanfare; one fantastic song turns into another and another; they create the stark "For the Damaged" and don't demand their rightful due of public parades and medals. They are just happy being the band that they are — no more, no less. Start with "In Particular," "Melody of Certain Three," "Hated Because…" Err, do yourself a favor and make that a "Download All."

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Probably the most telling BR album Part 2

Tides

Blonde Redhead, like Fugazi, is one of those bands with different groupings of fans - some prefer the earlier raw records; some prefer the most experimental and surprising records; a lot of newer fans will think their newest, more electronic, softer records. But what this record does so well, among other things, is that it exhibits Blonde Redhead showing themselves the most. In my opinion, this is where Blonde Redhead really found themselves. And that's not to say they lost themselves after this record. it's just that like all good artists, repetition is boring. You have to expand your own ideas of what is possible. You can't just adopt a new sound, you have to keep on creating so you can please the yourself, as well your most devout fans - the ones that want to be blown away every time a new records comes out

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A Cure 4 Me

leemail98

The song "A Cure" is one my all time fave Blonde Redhead tracks and I have all the discs.

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Surprisingly quiet affair?

starpower

Surprisingly quiet affair? More like noisy surprises. Rarely do the cuts get louder than an electric guitar? "Mother" comes out of nowhere & blasts away - you may want to skip that dload or move it out of the folder to get a less noisy album!

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More noisy genius

millsbury

As usual: fresh, original, spare, clever, and moving. This may be the hippest band ever. I met them on a plane once, lucky me. Listening to this band always renews my faith in the creative potential of a rock band, using only drums, guitar, and vocals, plus a few recorded loops of interesting discordant noise.

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Coolest band ever

MrManFitz

These cats are just plain cool. Their music is different, ever-changing, and sometimes challenging and their live performances are top-notch. This is the album that opened my eyes to Blonde Redhead and showed me what new music is all about.

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They Say All Music Guide

For a record produced by Guy Picciotto (Fugazi, Rites of Spring), Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons is a surprisingly quiet affair. Rarely do the cuts on Blonde Redhead’s 2000 release get much louder than an electric guitar. With their fifth record, Blonde Redhead finally emerges from the shadows of Sonic Youth’s post-punk legacy by avoiding the expected detunings, distortions, and shrillness of the genre. The three-piece manages to create a record that is subtle, tuneful, and sublime. On “Loved Despite of Great Faults,” instrumentation mainly consists of acoustic guitar, piano, and percussion rather than an assault of power chords, yet the mood of the song is just as effective. While the record may be quieter, it still manages to move in several different directions. “This Is Not” tips its hat to Ric Ocasek with a new wave-inspired piece while the opening cut, “Equally Damaged,” and “Ballad of Lemons” suggest an influence from Danny Elfman. Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons may not accurately reflect the full body of Blonde Redhead’s work, yet it presents an easy place to start. – Yancey Strickler

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