Blondie
(ElevenSeven)
One spin of Blondie's new album is all you need to underscore that this is a band that's never lost its edge, its spunk, its grit, its voice. Frontwoman Deborah Harry, who must feel as if she's lived about five cool lives, has again written crisp, engaging lyrics that provide the commentary to the masterfully crafted tunes written by long-time band mate and one-time love Chris Stein. Sure, the songs are a group effort that fully engage all members, but the classic Blondie sound is clearly the child of Harry and Stein.
And what a child it is, dabbling in reggae, funk, and early Panic! At the Disco beats without ever tilting full-bore into anything other than Blondie's signature sound. In talking to Blurt, Harry said that the music was just a natural outgrowth of the band's artistic chemistry. "It's always been a premise of ours to be creative and to make statements. I can't explain it more than that," she says of the myriad of musical styles they've embraced on the album. "I personally think, and I'm sure that Chris feels the same way, when you're actively involved with an art form [such as] music, you have to express new ideas or new feelings."
They've certainly done that on past albums but arguably never more confidently. While they dipped into reggae on the classic "The Tide is High," they take a high-dive leap into the format on "Girlie Girlie." You'll hear it in Harry's vocals, telling the story of a Caribbean bon vivant and his many love interests, and the band's instrumentation, highlighted by unrelenting bongos. Then there's classic Blondie punk in the form of "Mother," the ode to the one-time club in New York's Meatpacking District in which the band first blossomed. Yet the band also rocks - complete with some fancy guitar work - on songs including the mid-tempo "Words in My Mouth."
Sure, Blondie has taken some long breaks from recording together, but that doesn't mean the members ever really moved away from their art or various collaborations. This album is a wellspring of the bandmates' combined creativity and an ode to free-spirited artistic expression. Bravo.
DOWNLOAD: "Mother," "Words in My Mouth" NANCY DUNHAM
