Blonde Redhead's eighth studio album, Penny Sparkle, is named after a horse in upstate New York that lives at the stable where singer/bassist/songwriter Kazu Makino keeps her own. Makino is a devout horse person. (She's also a sonic ghost-angel, a dream spirit-guide, and an anime warrior queen.) Makino says she feels detached a lot of the time and that riding horses makes her feel more alive and connected to life than anything. She survived and recovered from a terrible horse-riding accident where her face was trampled. She exudes a delicate toughness. When she performs, Makino is completely enveloped in and possessed by the music, as are her twin bandmates, Simone and Amedeo Pace. The trio's meticulous tension has a dreamy pallor. Makino's vocals are sorrowful and poised. She sings like she knows something you need to know. It's pristine. You listen 'til the end because you need to know. We spoke. She did not seem detached.

If Blonde Redhead could have any superpower, what would it be?

To be able to stay at home and on tour at the same time. So I can see my horse every day.

What do you think defines the sound of the new album?

Winter.

How was it working with the Swedish producers Van Rivers & the Subliminal Kid? How was the studio there?

They were amazing to work with. Their studio in Stockholm was clean and white. Ours in New York was black and chaotic and dirty. We worked in both places.

How did the writing and recording for this album differ from previous Blonde Redhead albums?

My commuting between New York and Stockholm, that was different.

What's your formula?

No formula. That's the problem.

Talk about the song "Love or Prison."

It was a long, long process for that one, hard to remember how it all happened. We laid down the basic chords on different keyboards—Mellotron, Farfisa, and Prophet—and then the bass line on my baritone, of course. Then we recorded a bunch of overtones using voice or simple sounds and notes from the piano. We worked on processing with Drew Brown [Radiohead, Beck]. He sampled my voice using a Roland SP-555. Next, the song went to Stockholm and they added more, including some rarer instruments.

Is there a favorite Blonde Redhead piece of gear? Like a magical compressor or spring reverb?

We like MXR distortion. And our friend Joe Waltz always has some prototypes for us to take on tour and try. We are trying some nice reverb and delay pedals but not sure if they have names yet. And we couldn't play without our picks from California. They are textured and soft rubber—sounds like condoms!

Your six-string bass has a special power, right?

Yes. We always use it to write and record. It's nice to play, and it has a great sound. There's no other six-string like it.

When you think of Seattle, what do you think of?

Pike Place Market, John Goodmanson's old cake-shaped studio, and the suicide rate.

How was playing in Turkey? Do you have any stories about your dog being on tour?

In Turkey, we had to have half an hour intermission during the show because of a prayer schedule. There was an incident where my dog ate drugs off a concert-hall floor. We had to look for an emergency vet at 4:00 a.m., somewhere in Italy.

What's the last dream you remember? If your six-string bass dreamed, what would it dream?

In my dream, I was standing in front of two black doors, I couldn't tell if they were open or not because they were the blackest black. I had to choose one and was so frightened. I woke up and snuggled with my puppy and a family member. My baritone bass dreams about another baritone, wanting to be close.

What are you reading now? I always think of Blonde Redhead as being connected to their songs like a writer is connected to their novel.

I'm reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

What is your favorite book?

Ada, or Ardor by Nabokov.

You're into the Harry Potter, right? If you could do one thing to Dumbledore's beard, what would it be? Would you crawl up inside it and take a nap, or would you trim it off and weave a sweater out of it?

I'm not so familiar with Harry Potter. But I would rather take a nap in his beard. Cool? 

Interview with Simone

The art-rock trio has been doing what they do for 22 years. Vocalist Kazu Makino is from another nebula, and the drummer-guitarist combo of Simone and Amedeo Pace are twin brothers from Italy. Together they lay down pristine capsules of sonic freaktown.

Their album Barragán was produced by Drew Brown (Beck, Radiohead, Lower Dens), and incorporates field recordings from London into the mix. The random sounds lose their randomness in the context of the songs.

Drummer Simone Pace has been drinking espresso since the age of six. I asked him some questions in New York.

What’s it like being in a band for 22 years with your twin brother? How does it help? How does it hurt?

Being a twin, a lot of things don’t need to be said between us. You don’t have to explain things as much. The music, and communication, and the vision are more innate. Before, I was in a band with my twin brother, and my girlfriend, which was challenging. But you learn to make up with them quickly after a squabble, because they’re family and you’re around them so much. If you’re in a band with people who aren’t your family, if there’s a big disagreement, you could just choose not to work with them again. But with family, it’s a little different. There’s not really anything bad about it. I’d say something that might be bad is that we’ve been doing it for so long, sometimes I feel a little allergic to him [laughs]. It’s not that we can’t stand each other, it’s that sometimes playing with someone new is refreshing, and you get to soak up their personality. The bad parts are things that happen with any band, and any relationship. You have to keep working at it, and working to evolve.

If you guys wrestled, who would win?

We would wrestle as kids. Some months he would win, some months I would. We were always competitive. He’s a little bossy, so maybe now he would win [laughs].

I like the sounds of New York you all left in the video for “The One I Love”. It gives it a feeling of unguarded presence.

It’s very strange. We’ve never made a video like that before. We’re very vulnerable in it. It’s not a sharp video where everybody looks great with perfect hair. It’s just us in the city and in our homes. It was hard to make because we felt so naked. The director, Jem Cohen, is great. He’s an old friend, and he’s true to his craft. We really trusted him and wanted to try it. He did a lot of shooting in New York City, and it was raining there. It’s a collage of images and us and strangers in the city. It’s almost alarming how simple it is. You’re not used to seeing things like that anymore. Videos for the most part these days are so produced and over-edited.

And for the album, producer Drew Brown mixed in field recordings from London’s Kew Gardens. I’m sensing a field recording theme.

It’s people walking, and saying things. He slowed down some voices on one song. Jem and Drew are similar in the way they capture ideas and imagery. We would fall love with the sounds and want to use them. It gives things a different layer that makes them more present. You don’t know what to think. There’s a randomness to it that I find fascinating. The field recordings bring certain things out in the music, and vice versa. I like the interplay between the two.

Blonde Redhead is simple and complex at the same time.

We try to not crowd the sounds. Sometimes it’s hard. You’ll hear a melody, or a line you want to add to a song. But it might be best to leave it more stripped down, and leave it with more space. Some things are better left unsaid [laughs]. I think the more space you give something, the more sound you have. The albums I love the most are minimal, where one instrument has lots of space and sounds huge because of it. I think when instruments are stacked on top of each other, you can lose some of the focus.

What’s a minimal album you love?

 Early Caetano Veloso, and Chico Buarque. I like them a lot. Also ‪Connan Mockasin.

Best of luck wrestling your brother.

Thank you. I’ll need it.

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