Since the peak of their game in the late ’90s/early ’00s Blonde Redhead have struggled to win fans over. Their last effort 2010’s electronically geared Penny Sparkle hit an especially sour note with many writing the record off as a complete and total misstep. Followup Barragán does fare better but not by much.
Once again the trio of Kazu Makino and twins Simone and Amedeo Pace are in electronic-dabbling mode instilling album nine with a glossy laid-back sort of vibe. This time though the organic elements do come back into play — often via some mega-slack guitar bits revived baroque tropes and hybrid electronic/live drum work — with an increased sense of minimalism overriding it all.
While this could have opened Blonde Redhead up to a newfound vulnerability instead it feels straight-up limp. “Mine to Be Had” is the by-the-number Blonde Redhead krautrock jam you never wanted “The One I Love” is a Misery is a Butterfly throwaway at best and Makino repeatedly sounds like she can barely keep her eyes open (see “No More Honey” and “Cat on Tin Roof”).
Following the flub that was Penny Sparkle Blonde Redhead were in a desperate need of a return to form — something Barragán is not.
