Bands built around co-lead singers typically tend toward one of two extremes: Either the vocal duality injects an element of compelling contrast, or the coupled voices butt stylistic heads, sounding as if two acts briefly shared a lease on studio space.
23, the latest LP from Manhattan-based indie vets Blonde Redhead, successfully navigates the former route, forging the distinct sensibilities of its female (Kazu Makino) and male (Amedeo Pace) singers into a powerhouse that plays like much more than the simple sum of its two principal parts.
The Italian- and Japanese-transplanted threesome’s experimental origins officially dead and buried on album No. 7, 23 shifts seamlessly between Makino’s ethereal, Lush-meets-MBV shoegazing (“23,” “Heroine”) and Pace’s moody, Radioheady alt-rockers (“SW,” “Publisher”), never leaving the listener wondering “which sound do I like better?” as it spins.
The disc’s only negative—and it’s a relatively minor one—concerns its structure. Rather than lead off with three Makino tracks, go to Pace for three of the next four and close with another three from Makino, Blonde Redhead might have intertwined its songs a bit more discreetly. Regardless, that’s hardly enough to thwart a major effort from a band with a singular musical vision, and voice.