*** Blonde Redhead

IN AN EXPRESSION OF THE INEXPRESSIBLE

(Touch And Go)

Ah, the sound of detuned electric guitars played loud. There's nothing like it -- something the three musicians that make up Blonde Redhead are well aware of. They also know how to use it to their benefit. Take "Futurism vs. Passeism Part 2," which backs Amedeo Pace's softly intoned French monologue with a web of simple yet evocative minor-key lines played by Pace and fellow guitarist Kazu Makino. What could easily have been pretentious ends up affecting, thanks to a crafty arrangement.

Not everything here is up to that level. Several tracks, especially the distorted, string-scraping "IO," reveal that Blonde Redhead haven't entirely escaped the shadow of Sonic Youth (admittedly a hard task, and maybe not even that desirable when you're playing music of this sort). And lyrics that already veer close to gibberish ("Corrupt temptation/Speed times distance equals time/Pain in my leg/A needle pointing at neon") are further mangled by Makino's uniquely Japanese pronunciation. But sometimes sound can be more important than meaning, and on songs like "Luv Machine" and "Missile," which blend entrancing dual-guitar parts with Simone Pace's lurching drums and Makino's high-flying vocalisms, Blonde Redhead make an attractive noise indeed.

-- Mac Randall