Albums to watch

Pollinator

Blondie

Pollinator

Eleventh album from the legendary new wave band produced by John Congleton

ADM rating[?]

6.1

Label
BMG Rights Management
UK Release date
05/05/2017
US Release date
05/05/2017
  1. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Hooks, drums, evocative lyrics: an atomic return
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  2. 8.0 |   DIY

    It makes thinking inside the box sound pretty damn fun
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  3. 8.0 |   Q

    A new album that sounds enough like an old album. Print edition only

  4. 7.8 |   Paste Magazine

    The band recruited several artists to pen tracks for the album: Charli XCX, Sia, Johnny Marr, Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) and the Strokes’ Nick Valensi. They’re all Blondie tributes in spirit
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  5. 7.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    An astute addition to a diverse catalogue
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  6. 7.0 |   American Songwriter

    Whether there is a place for the ageing Blondie in the current musical climate is yet to be determined. But, with a release as consistently robust as Pollinator, the remaining trio has tapped into past glories without sounding stiff, or worse, desperate
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  7. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    On the blazing "My Monster," written by Smiths guitar legend Johnny Marr, she drops the bored bon mot "human beings are stupid things," like a Dorothy Parker of the Bowery
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  8. 7.0 |   Uncut

    Material worthy to stand alongside the group’s brightest back pages. Print edition only

  9. 7.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Blondie delivering a new album in 2017 seems perfect
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  10. 6.7 |   Pitchfork

    A bit uneven but remains a showcase for Debbie Harry’s versatile, supremely grounded voice and style
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  11. 6.7 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Eleven albums later, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein still know how to throw a party
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  12. 6.0 |   The FT

    Blondie mainly contract out the songwriting on Pollinator. The result, counter-intuitively, is the most Blondie-ish album since 1999’s No Exit
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  13. 6.0 |   The Observer

    Back with added 21st-century sheen
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  14. 6.0 |   Evening Standard

    Debbie Harry’s swagger belies her 71 years
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  15. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    Mixed bag from a motley crew of songwriters
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  16. 6.0 |   NOW

    It’s far from a perfect record, but it’s their best in years
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  17. 6.0 |   All Music

    It's hard to think of another legacy act so determined to play a part of the modern musical dialogue without losing their identity
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  18. 6.0 |   State

    After all these years Blondie still have something to say and they can still make you dance and isn’t that what rock n’ roll is all about
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  19. 6.0 |   The Music

    While 'Pollinator' is hardly imperative, the brand name isn't embarrassed
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  20. 6.0 |   Mojo

    This album deconstructs what Blondie is and calls upon like-minded souls to write their record for them. Print edition only

  21. 6.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    The punchy production from John Congleton, who returns behind the desk, suits twenty-first century Blondie down to the ground
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  22. 5.2 |   Earbuddy

    Nothing on the album is particularly memorable or tries to be better than their younger peers
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  23. 5.0 |   Punk News

    I don’t know what it’s going to take to make Blondie a viable band again, because Pollinator is a gimmick that just didn’t pay off
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  24. 4.0 |   The Independent

    Blondie revert to something closer to their classic band style for Pollinator, with mixed results
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  25. 4.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Pollinator almost makes you wish Blondie were one of those bands who just do exactly what they’ve done before
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  26. 4.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    There is the odd special moment – particularly the comparatively placid, beautifully melodic ‘When I Gave Up On You’ that serves as a welcome counterpart to the confused chaos of everything else
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  27. 3.0 |   Under The Radar

    There is zero expectation for Blondie to create Parallel Lines 2.0. That would require an actual miracle. Pollinator, however, is too removed from oh so many things that made Blondie great to be acceptable
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Blondie: Pollinator

  • Download full album for just £4.99
  • 1. Doom or Destiny £0.99
  • 2. Long Time £0.99
  • 3. Already Naked £0.99
  • 4. Fun £0.99
  • 5. My Monster £0.99
  • 6. Best Day Ever £0.99
  • 7. Gravity £0.99
  • 8. When I Gave Up on You £0.99
  • 9. Love Level £0.99
  • 10. Too Much £0.99
  • 11. Fragments £0.99
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