Still in raptures about Blondie
BLONDIE: Pollinator (BMG) Verdict: Still the bee’s knees KASABIAN: For Crying Out Loud (Columbia) Verdict: Arena-ready rock
Blondie’s attitude to their 11th album is straightforward: if you can’t beat pop’s younger pretenders, welcome them on board.
Pollinator features many elements that singer debbie Harry, guitarist Chris stein and drummer Clem Burke used to make the new York band a force in their heyday, with Harry’s voice a focal point for melodic songs with their roots in punk, electronic pop, disco and alternative rock.
This time, though, they have refreshed their sound with the help of some hired hands, including songwriters sia and Charli XCX, and there’s a duet with Joan Jett plus cameos by guitarists nick Valensi ( of The strokes) and Johnny Marr.
Thankfully, most of them make meaningful contributions that sit well with the traditions of a band that’s never been scared to experiment.
At the heart of it all is Harry. At 71, she is only two years younger than Mick Jagger, but her poised presence holds Pollinator together with an assured grandeur.
The band begin by harking back to 1978 when they produced two great albums, Plastic letters and Parallel lines, in seven months.
Album opener doom or destiny, with Jett on backing vocals, is a tough, new- wave rocker that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Plastic letters.
long Time, a collaboration with londoner dev Hynes, reprises the bubbling dance grooves of Heart of Glass from Parallel lines.
elsewhere, the funky, horndriven love level, one of only two songs here written by Harry and stein, echoes the 1981 single Rapture, while Blondie keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen revisits the band’s penchant for yearning, atmospheric pop on Too Much and Already naked.
However, the guests are sometimes allowed too much sway. Marr’s urgent imprint leaves Harry floundering on My Monster and Best day ever, with Valensi on guitar, sounds like a strokes pastiche.
But, with producer John Congleton recording the six-piece band live in the same new York studio david Bowie used for his final two albums, Pollinator puts a timely, modern spin on vintage Blondie.
KASABIAN have been unfairly served by their reputation as meat-and-potatoes rockers lacking in subtlety. Formed 20 years ago when singer Tom Meighan and guitarist serge Pizzorno met at sixth form college, their rabblerousing instincts saw them hailed as natural heirs to oasis.
But the leicester band have always tried to sneak more esoteric references into their songs, too. Their third album was a concept piece influenced by sgt Pepper, and they have also looked to electronic pioneers Tangerine dream for inspiration.
For Crying out loud, their sixth album, feels more like a reiteration of core values. songwriter Pizzorno wrote the record in six weeks, aiming to create a batch of lean, three-minute pop songs high on hooks and low on self-indulgence.
THE results certainly signal a move back to noisy, arena-ready guitars. ill Ray (The King) and Good Fight both tap into the psychedelic British blues of the sixties, while there are cinematic touches to the slow, twangy riffs of The Party never ends.
since we last heard from the band in 2014, Pizzorno and his long-term girlfriend have married, and there’s a surprising tenderness to Put Your life on it and All Through The night.
even the love songs have a twist. despite its menacing title, the swaggering single You’re in love With A Psycho is actually the sound of serge affectionately serenading his new wife. ‘i wait for you to follow me to share my chips,’ runs one line.
Who says romance is dead.
Both albums are out today. Blondie play BST in hyde Park on June 30 (bst-hydepark.com). Kasabian play Glasgow Green on July 8, Belfast’s Custom house Square on August 23 and Reading and Leeds Festivals on August 25 and 26 (kasabian.co.uk).