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"Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons" was a masterpiece of contradiction: lush melodies and crashing violence, swooning love and lonely paranoia. Where BR previously had stuck to a pretty good approximation of Sonic Youth's dissonance, they now revelled in exquisitely orchestrated, layered pop sounds, balanced out by lashings of tension and pathos.

On first listen this new album was a little disappointing. The lush pop is still there, but the tension has eased, leaving a seemingly bland collection of songs. However, repeated plays has ingrained these songs in my head: The decadent, Italianate backing of first single "Elephant Woman"; the swooping strings of the title track; the Field Mice-esque bass of "Anticipation"; the unashamed catchiness of "Equus".

And for all its pop moments, as the title suggests, "Misery Is a Butterfly" is very much a downbeat album. The vocals make this patently clear. The equally helium male/female vocals with-funny-Italian/Japanese-accents might not be to everyone's tastes, but for me they evoke a tender vulnerability. Where previously those voices may have howled with pain, it's clear these days they'd rather sing to themselves instead.

So all in all, while some of the tension may have gone, this is the sound of an altogether fully matured group, where anger and bitterness have been replaced by sorrow, dissonant noise replaced by lush soundscapes. Where once was abrasion, today Blonde Redhead present you with a comfy mattress and a warm duvet to pull over your head.