175. Jess Sylvester Discusses Blonde Redhead, Misery Is a Butterfly

Send us Fan MailSinger, songwriter and guitarist Jess Sylvester (Marinero) joins Al and introduces him to Blonde Redhead’s 2004 album Misery Is a Butterfly. Jess talks about why he chose this album for the episode and how he was first exposed to it. Among many aspects of the album he focuses on, Jess observes how Blonde Redhead integrates their classical influences with different musical styles and how they convey the album’s lyrical themes across its 11 tracks. Jess also talks about his brand-new Marinero album, La La La, and the process of recording it in Los Angeles.As Jess mentioned on the show, the best place to keep up with him and his work is on Instagram. He is @marin_guero.You can find Jess’ music on his Marinero Bandcamp page: https://maringuero.bandcamp.com/.Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/. You can also support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.Have a comment, question or suggestion about the show? Contact Al by clicking on the “Send us a text” link just above.1:27 Jess joins the show1:50 Jess explains why he chose Misery Is a Butterfly—and not The Beach Boys’ Smile Sessions4:13 Al was especially happy to do a Blonde Redhead episode5:28 Jess talks about the mixtape that introduced him to Blonde Redhead7:39 Jess recalls his first impressions of Misery Is a Butterfly11:55 Jess has nostalgic feelings about the album14:41 Al had a memorable experience when listening to Misery Is a Butterfly for the first time15:46 Jess talks about Blonde Redhead’s influences17:51 Jess provides some specific examples of how Blonde Redhead integrate their different influences20:52 Jess and Al talk about the tracks that act as palate cleansers for them24:25 Al was impressed by the album’s sequencing and how its themes were developed27:33 The album takes a surprising turn with “Equus”31:10 Jess explains what makes Misery Is a Butterfly a standout in Blonde Redhead’s discography33:29 Misery Is a Butterfly launched Jess into a new level of Blonde Redhead fandom35:16 Jess observes how the album hits him now after he hadn’t listened to it much in recent years38:00 Jess talks about what he enjoys from other Blonde Redhead albums41:08 Jess picks out his favorite moment from Misery Is a Butterfly43:13 Blonde Redhead ties opposing themes together throughout the album45:51 Jess hears “Magic Mountain” as a unique song on the album47:29 Jess appreciates Simone Pace’s drumming49:53 Jess hears Misery Is a Butterfly as a reflection of Blonde Redhead being composers, not jammers52:27 Jess talks about recording his new Marinero album La La La54:50 Jess consciously pushed himself to incorporate many different styles on La La La58:43 Jess reveals his plans for the coming monthsOutro music is from “The Mystery of Miss Mari Jane” by Marinero.Support the show