Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly Price: €16.99 Availability: Immediate Dispatch

Moving from their longtime home at Touch & Go to the renowned 4AD label, NYC art-rockers Blonde Redhead have made telling sonic adjustments, trading in their noisy, abrasive edge for a refined, often orchestral sound. The trio--Kazu Makino and twin brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace--makes the transition clear from the get-go on "Elephant Woman", which features Makino's breathy vocals over a backdrop of harpsichord, strings, and light percussion. Melancholy is certainly the main theme of this album, as exquisitely exemplified by the title track, a somber, keyboard-driven piece that borders on chamber music. However, just when the proceedings verge on the morose, the band emerges with two upbeat songs, the swirling, Stereolab-like "Pink Love" and the guitar-driven grandeur of "Equus", revealing that they can still rock when the mood strikes them.