Blonde Redhead - 'Elephant Woman' (Matador)
5/5
By: Clara Burtenshaw
For those who have indulged in the softly pornographic antics of 'Emmanuelle I-VII' the understated 'Elephant Woman', fraught with restless vocals and mournful, mysterious clavinet, will conjure up many-a-soundtrack to the arty and erotic.
For, after a four year interlude, Blonde Redhead return with an avant-experimental clatter far removed from the rock that initially gave rise to those Sonic Youth comparisons. Despite their cultural blend of Asian and Italian, this trio are expert cultivators in je ne sais quoi - hardly surprising from a band who previously covered Parisian progenitor Serge Gainsbourg, Monsieur 'garlic et beret' himself.
Here, that distinctively French something is provided by Kazu Makino's detached and insouciant vocals: one minute her softly spoken Japanese accent is seemingly breathless and evocative, the next it floats over a yearning undercurrent of repressed catharsis, reminiscent of Bjork. Fitful, desperate harmonies take flight above shivering strings that climax eerily and alternately between major and minor. Arthouse it is then, and it comes no more ethereal or exotic than this.
And for those yet to experiment with the Eiffel Tower and the Euro Tunnel, let 'Elephant Woman' be your sensuous guide. Ooh la la.
Artists in this article: Blonde Redhead
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