| In an Expression of the Inexpressible | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Blonde Redhead | ||||
| Released | September 8, 1998 (1998-09-08) | |||
| Recorded | February 1998 | |||
| Studio | Jolly Roger (Hoboken, New Jersey) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:48 | |||
| Label | Touch and Go | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Blonde Redhead chronology | ||||
| ||||
In an Expression of the Inexpressible is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Blonde Redhead. It was released on September 8, 1998, by Touch and Go Records.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Melody Maker | |
| NME | 7/10 |
| Pitchfork | 5.5/10 |
| Uncut | 8/10 |
Reviewing In an Expression of the Inexpressible for NME in 1998, Kitty Empire praised Blonde Redhead's music as "a noble enterprise, fraught with detuned Sonic Youth guitars and scything hardcore fury." In Melody Maker, Neil Kulkarni called the album "funkless" yet "helluva lot more moving, thrilling and intriguing than anything the whole avant-rock/cod-funk axis has ever produced." AllMusic critic Matthew Hilburn attributed its "fuller and more polished" sound to Guy Picciotto and John Goodmanson's production and commented that Blonde Redhead has "never sounded quite as good", despite expressing mild reservations about the band's vocal and guitar performances. Nick Mirov of Pitchfork was less enthusiastic, writing that the band strives for "laid-back tension and moody sexiness" but instead sounds "lethargic and unengaging."
In 2018, In an Expression of the Inexpressible was listed as the 46th-best album of 1998 by Pitchfork. In an accompanying essay, Pitchfork writer Claire Lobenfeld noted the album's shift away from the grittier sound of earlier Blonde Redhead recordings, and toward "a more romantic and uncharacteristically lustrous version of the Sonic Youth mimesis of their first three albums."
Track listing
All tracks are written by Blonde Redhead (Kazu Makino, Amedeo Pace and Simone Pace), except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Luv Machine" | 3:39 |
| 2. | "10" | 3:59 |
| 3. | "Distilled" | 3:29 |
| 4. | "Missile ++" | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Futurism vs. Passéism Part 2" | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Speed × Distance = Time" | 3:54 |
| 7. | "In an Expression of the Inexpressible" | 6:09 |
| 8. | "Suimasen" (すいません) | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Led Zep" | 5:15 |
| 10. | "This Is for Me and I Know Everyone Knows" | 2:59 |
| 11. | "Justin Joyous" | 2:53 |
| Total length: | 42:48 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Slogan" | Serge Gainsbourg | 3:54 |
| 13. | "Limited Conversation" | 3:49 | |
| Total length: | 50:31 | ||
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
Blonde Redhead
- Kazu Makino – guitar, vocals
- Amedeo Pace – guitar, vocals
- Simone Pace – drums, keyboards
Additional personnel
- John Goodmanson – production, recording
- Guy Picciotto – voice on "Futurism vs. Passéism Part 2", production
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
References
- ^ Lobenfeld, Claire (July 12, 2013). "Blonde Redhead Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ Pinnock, Tom (October 2016). "How to Buy... Blonde Redhead". Uncut. No. 233. p. 49.
- "In an Expression of the Inexpressible". Touch and Go Records. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- "Just Out". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 61. September 1998. p. 86. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Hilburn, Matthew. "In an Expression of the Inexpressible – Blonde Redhead". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ^ Kulkarni, Neil (September 26, 1998). "Blonde Redhead: In an Expression of the Inexpressible". Melody Maker.
- ^ Empire, Kitty (September 8, 1998). "Blonde Redhead – In An Expression Of The Inexpressible". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ^ Mirov, Nick. "Blonde Redhead: In An Expression Of The Inexpressible". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 19, 2001. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 1998". Pitchfork. February 12, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- In an Expression of the Inexpressible (liner notes). Blonde Redhead. Touch and Go Records. 1998. TG196CD.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
External links
- In an Expression of the Inexpressible at Discogs (list of releases)
- In an Expression of the Inexpressible at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
| Blonde Redhead | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio albums | |
| Songs | |
 | This 1990s indie rock album-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |