 Blondie
"The Curse of Blondie" CD
Sanctuary
Records
Genres: pop/rock, new wave
band
website
Jul 26 - Aug 1 2004 |
Judging by the reviews of Blondie's other recent albums, The
Curse of Blondie is a return to form for Deborah Harry and
co. Although none of these songs carry the same infectious
impact as the band's earlier singles, they are - for the most part -
pretty impressive rock numbers.
After a mediocre (and creepily hardcore) opening track in
"Shakedown," Blondie jumps straight into the fine
stuff with "Good Boys," the record's main single.
Using an electronic backbone and a modernized structure somewhat
reminiscent of "Call Me," it succeeds by way of some juicy
hooks and an immediately infectious chorus. It's easily one of
the catchiest singles I've heard all year.
The rest of The Curse of Blondie struggles to repeat the
success of "Good Boys," although many of the songs are quite
impressive in their own right. "Golden Rod," for
example, is a tremendously thrilling rock number made for a
race-car movie - its smashing rhythm works perfectly with the
stunningly memorably guitar-and-vocals melody. "Magic (Asadoya
Yunta)" is another highlight, though in a different vein - it is a
lush, dreamy pop tune made perfect by way of cute, lovely
vocals. The tremendous "Last One in the World" is also
intensely accessible.
Aside from "Shakedown" and a bizarre exercise in bland
free-jazz tomfoolery called "Desire Brings Me Back," The
Curse of Blondie is a very entertaining album. Listen for
"Good Boys" on the radio, but by this album for its many
other strong songs.
86%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 14 tracks + video, distributed by Amazon, released 2003] |
