The album starts off with a bang, or rather many bangs as original drummer Clem Burke kicks into high gear with a propulsive beat on "D-Day," a song that seems to allude to the current state of the music industry and internet, with references to piracy, transfers, and limited privacy. The chorus is infectious, with the backing vocals that seem to be chanting "Debbie Devil, Don't You Dare," although I could be hearing it wrong.
From there the high energy continues with the absolutely stunning "What I Heard," which definitely should be a summer single. It's sing-a-long ready and sounds like classic Blondie but with an energy that is so current and immediate. Amazingly, this level of passion and frenetic energy is continued into the third track and first single, "Mother," which is another great sing-a-long which just seems perfect for Debbie Harry to sing, as to many, she is the "Mother" of punk-pop/new-wave/girl-rock or whatever she represents to the legions of people she and the band have inspired.
The band brings things down a notch for the next track, the reggae influenced "The End The End" which seems to be an apocalyptic love song reminiscent of other island-flavored Blondie tunes like "The Tide is High" or "The Only One."
Throughout the rest of the album, the band explores a variety of sounds and influences, keeping it mostly mellow from here on out, although "Love Doesn't Frighten Me" is another poppy rock song with a very classic Blondie feel about it. Some of the stranger, but very cool moments, include the latino jam-band groove of "Wipe Off My Sweat," with Debbie's repeated coo-ings of "Papi, Papi," and the half sexy/half silly rapping of the bonus track "Horizontal Twist" with it's name-checking of Sheryl Crow of all people.
Overall, this album takes a few listens to get into the less-catchy songs that dominate the last 2/3rds of the album, but for a band that's been going as long as Blondie, this music serves them now as it does feel like an album they could actually perform live in it's entirety without being forceful or sounding like they're trying to be something they're not. It doesn't have all the highs that their previous two discs had (1999's No Exit, and 2003's shamefully under-appreciated The Curse of Blondie) but it's a welcome return from a band who has produced some consistently brilliant and envelope-pushing work. Debbie's vocals continue to mature in a sultry, jazz chanteuse sort of way but retains enough of her brash, punk attitude and standoffish sex appeal, and the new band members do a good job of honoring the past Blondie sound without being slaves to it.
Rating: OOO (Three out of Five O's)
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