Is it officially a summer of contrasts when a band named Blonde Redhead announces a retrospective box set called Masculin Féminin? I haven’t been this intrigued by advertised differences since Michael Jackson paraded naked people of various ethnicities in front of the camera for too much of an entire music video. Twenty-plus years after that video mildly disturbed large swaths of the human population, the aforementioned NY musical trio is still releasing albums on a more or less regular schedule. Their latest, Barragán, came out just two years ago, and now it’ll be followed by a juicily content-filled release that harkens back to BR’s truly early days. Some of you might not have even been alive back then.
With Masculin Féminin, you young’ns will be afforded a new chance to listen to physical releases of Blonde Redhead’s first two albums, Blonde Redhead and La Mia Vita Violenta, both of which hadn’t seen a single reissue until now, two decades later. The 4LP/2CD box set also includes “their period singles, extant demos, and radio performances,” plus rare photographs and two essays on the influential indie band’s “formative years.” Although no one’s denying the band’s evolution, you can totally hear the contrast with their recent work by watching the trailer for the box set and listening to the early treasure “Big Song” below.
Masculin Féminin comes out September 30 on Numero Group. Pre-order it here.
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