On the Shelf 184: Blondie
Jul. 25th, 2017 07:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedsitter23I suppose it might be a guitly pleasure to say I love the band Blondie.
Not in the way that everyone loves Parallel Lines, a perfect blueprint for new wave and New York indie.
Although don't get me wrong, I do. I also mean I love the unloved Blondie. I loved the reunited Blondie records (particularly No Exit and The Curse of Blondie), which generally got mixed reviews. (I am also a fan of the hardly loved Autoamerican disc).
While the image of Blondie generally follows that of their 80s pop brethren, playing casinos and festivals, they are trying to stay relevant.
For me, they have been succeeding, and though music press and fandom favors the young, you can't tell me that you would rather hear some nth generation version of them like Haim.
Pollinator is very much of the Supernatural design, trying to stay relevant by being matched up with lots and lots of guest stars and collaborators. The guest list is telling. There are fellow icons (Laurie Anderson, Joan Jett), indie rockers (Nick Valensi from the Strokes, Johnny Marr, David Sitek from TV on the Radio) and pop stars (Sia, Charli XCX). This being Blondie, none of that seems out of place.
The great thing about this album is how well it succeeds. It is a very good record, and worthy of repeat listens. I don't want to discount the band by saying it will never succeed Parallel Lines, but I am not exactly grading on a curve either. It's a pretty good record. Even the indie folks who would normally savage records like this, have good things to say.
At its best, it's classic Blondie. "Fragments" is a classic Debbie Harry ballad which finishes as a killer new wave/post-punk burner. The lead single "Fun" puts Blondie back on the dance floor. The Joan Jett "Doom or Destiny" is another rocker that outdistances any followers.
That this is Blondie, there are genre-hopping mis-steps. There always have been. The amazing thing is that this album falls on the right side almost the whole time. Take "Love Level"- which would most certainly be a misstep. Cringe-worthy ribald jokes, simplistic lyrics, guest vocals of John Roberts (who's best known for being the voice of Linda on Bobs Burgers), a beat that hasn't been in fashion since the days of the Farm and the Happy Mondays. Yet, all that aside, you can't resist hitting the replay button.
It's really a great statement from the band that they have lot of life left. Fans should be more than pleased with it. Long may they rock.
(NSFW words on both of these)
Not in the way that everyone loves Parallel Lines, a perfect blueprint for new wave and New York indie.
Although don't get me wrong, I do. I also mean I love the unloved Blondie. I loved the reunited Blondie records (particularly No Exit and The Curse of Blondie), which generally got mixed reviews. (I am also a fan of the hardly loved Autoamerican disc).
While the image of Blondie generally follows that of their 80s pop brethren, playing casinos and festivals, they are trying to stay relevant.
For me, they have been succeeding, and though music press and fandom favors the young, you can't tell me that you would rather hear some nth generation version of them like Haim.
Pollinator is very much of the Supernatural design, trying to stay relevant by being matched up with lots and lots of guest stars and collaborators. The guest list is telling. There are fellow icons (Laurie Anderson, Joan Jett), indie rockers (Nick Valensi from the Strokes, Johnny Marr, David Sitek from TV on the Radio) and pop stars (Sia, Charli XCX). This being Blondie, none of that seems out of place.
The great thing about this album is how well it succeeds. It is a very good record, and worthy of repeat listens. I don't want to discount the band by saying it will never succeed Parallel Lines, but I am not exactly grading on a curve either. It's a pretty good record. Even the indie folks who would normally savage records like this, have good things to say.
At its best, it's classic Blondie. "Fragments" is a classic Debbie Harry ballad which finishes as a killer new wave/post-punk burner. The lead single "Fun" puts Blondie back on the dance floor. The Joan Jett "Doom or Destiny" is another rocker that outdistances any followers.
That this is Blondie, there are genre-hopping mis-steps. There always have been. The amazing thing is that this album falls on the right side almost the whole time. Take "Love Level"- which would most certainly be a misstep. Cringe-worthy ribald jokes, simplistic lyrics, guest vocals of John Roberts (who's best known for being the voice of Linda on Bobs Burgers), a beat that hasn't been in fashion since the days of the Farm and the Happy Mondays. Yet, all that aside, you can't resist hitting the replay button.
It's really a great statement from the band that they have lot of life left. Fans should be more than pleased with it. Long may they rock.
(NSFW words on both of these)
