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

Singer, 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 show

1:50 Jess explains why he chose Misery Is a Butterfly—and not The Beach Boys’ Smile Sessions

4:13 Al was especially happy to do a Blonde Redhead episode

5:28 Jess talks about the mixtape that introduced him to Blonde Redhead

7:39 Jess recalls his first impressions of Misery Is a Butterfly

11:55 Jess has nostalgic feelings about the album

14:41 Al had a memorable experience when listening to Misery Is a Butterfly for the first time

15:46 Jess talks about Blonde Redhead’s influences

17:51 Jess provides some specific examples of how Blonde Redhead integrate their different influences

20:52 Jess and Al talk about the tracks that act as palate cleansers for them

24:25 Al was impressed by the album’s sequencing and how its themes were developed

27:33 The album takes a surprising turn with “Equus”

31:10 Jess explains what makes Misery Is a Butterfly a standout in Blonde Redhead’s discography

33:29 Misery Is a Butterfly launched Jess into a new level of Blonde Redhead fandom

35:16 Jess observes how the album hits him now after he hadn’t listened to it much in recent years

38:00 Jess talks about what he enjoys from other Blonde Redhead albums

41:08 Jess picks out his favorite moment from Misery Is a Butterfly

43:13 Blonde Redhead ties opposing themes together throughout the album

45:51 Jess hears “Magic Mountain” as a unique song on the album

47:29 Jess appreciates Simone Pace’s drumming

49:53 Jess hears Misery Is a Butterfly as a reflection of Blonde Redhead being composers, not jammers

52:27 Jess talks about recording his new Marinero album La La La

54:50 Jess consciously pushed himself to incorporate many different styles on La La La

58:43 Jess reveals his plans for the coming months

Outro music is from “The Mystery of Miss Mari Jane” by Marinero.