Misery Is a Butterfly
2004 studio album by Blonde Redhead
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Misery Is a Butterfly is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band Blonde Redhead. The album was released on March 15, 2004, by 4AD.[8] The album's lyrics and imagery reflect on a horseback accident Makino suffered in 2003,[9] which required facial reconstructive surgery and months of rehabilitation, and caused her mental distress. The tracks "Elephant Woman" and "Equus" are more directly about the incident.
| Misery Is a Butterfly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 15, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | March 16 – April 6, 2003 | |||
| Studio | Long View Farm (North Brookfield, Massachusetts) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:54 | |||
| Label | 4AD | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Blonde Redhead chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Misery Is a Butterfly | ||||
Continuing the sonic evolution that began with their previous album Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, the album integrates lush string arrangements (viola, violin, cello) and clavichords, giving it a musical aesthetic that critics described as a cinematic, chamber-pop feel. The string arrangements were written and performed by Eyvind Kang[10] and Jane Scarpantoni.[citation needed]
Critical reception
Misery is a Butterfly was well received by critics. Metacritic gave Misery is a Butterfly a score of 78/100, indicating generally favourable reviews. Pitchfork gave it a 4/5, saying: "Blonde Redhead have perfected their own unusual strain of perceived insincerity. They said it themselves, and it still rings true, [that] fake can be just as good." Rolling Stone gave the album a 3/5, saying "Blonde Redhead have been slogging away as part of the Sonic Youth-led downtown New York rock axis since the mid-Nineties. After five fair-to-middling albums, the band has suddenly emerged, Flaming Lips-style, with one of the better indie-rock records of the year: Misery Is a Butterfly." CMJ ranked Misery Is a Butterfly as the 18th best album of 2004.[21]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Blonde Redhead (Kazu Makino, Amedeo Pace and Simone Pace).
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Elephant Woman" | Makino | 4:49 |
| 2. | "Messenger" | A. Pace | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Melody" | Makino | 4:36 |
| 4. | "Doll Is Mine" | A. Pace | 3:06 |
| 5. | "Misery Is a Butterfly" | Makino | 5:07 |
| 6. | "Falling Man" | A. Pace | 3:26 |
| 7. | "Anticipation" | Makino | 4:04 |
| 8. | "Maddening Cloud" | A. Pace | 3:20 |
| 9. | "Magic Mountain" | Makino | 3:02 |
| 10. | "Pink Love" |
| 6:13 |
| 11. | "Equus" | Makino | 3:50 |
| Total length: | 44:54 | ||
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[22]
Blonde Redhead
- Kazu Makino – vocals, clavinet, guitar, programming, string arrangements
- Amedeo Pace – vocals, guitar, baritone guitar, programming, string arrangements
- Simone Pace – drums, percussion, electronics, programming, string arrangements
Additional musicians
- Eyvind Kang – viola, violin, string arrangements
- Jane Scarpantoni – cello
- Skúli Sverrisson – bass
Production
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Chris Evans – engineering (assistant)
- Juan Garcia – engineering (assistant)
- John Goodmanson – mixing, additional engineering
- Ryan Hadlock – recording, additional production
- Guy Picciotto – production
Design
- Chris Bigg – artwork guidance
- Blonde Redhead – art direction, design
- Jun Koike – initial artwork assistance
- Carlo Mollino – front cover photography
- Keiko Uenishi – initial artwork assistance
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP)[23] | 77 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[24] | 50 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25] | 41 |
| US Billboard 200[26] | 180 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[27] | 10 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[28] | 11 |