STACK Issue 151 May 2017

84 / 92

22 MAY 2017
visit MUSIC REVIEWS
Plastic Letters (1978)
As with their promising debut two years previous, here
Blondie married their love of the '60s (The Beatles, girl
groups) and '50s pop ballads with power pop. The hits
Denis and (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear
– the former a souped-up doo-wop cover – shamelessly
borrowed from Buddy Holly and the British Invasion, respectively.
At a time of punk, Blondie were in the vanguard of NewWave.
Parallel Lines (1978)
Just seven months after Plastic Letters they returned
with this hit-packed outing: Harry and Stein's disco-
influenced Heart Of Glass, the poppy One Way Or
Another, astute covers with the bratty Hanging On The
Telephone and Buddy Holly's I'm Gonna Love You Too,
and Stein's pure pop on Sunday Girl. In Stein's Fade
Away And Radiate – which featured guitarist Robert Fripp –
they were also pushing into more challenging areas.
Autoamerican (1980)
Recorded in LA with a swag of session players,
Autoamerican divided critics. It opened with a cinematic
instrumental by Stein, but did tap again into disco (Live
It Up), reggae (the cover of Tide Is High) and hip hop
dance (Rapture, with Harry's idiotic but ironic rap).
There's also melodramatic cabaret and faux-showtunes
(Here's Looking at You). Two-thirds of a good album, although not
for the NewWave fans.
No Exit (1999)
Almost 20 years after their previous album, some of
the band reformed for this release, which, as always
given their magpie tendencies, drew from numerous
sources such as reggae, cabaret, hip hop, straight ahead
pop and girl groups (the Shangri-La's Out In The Streets
gets covered). Still smart enough to ping a hit (Maria by
keyboard player Jimmy Destri).
BLONDIE
And also... Because Blondie were a singles band, a best of/
greatest hits is the way to go. The Greatest Hits CD/DVD set of '06 is
recommended because it also presents their sassy visual image. Check
out Debbie Harry's 1989 Def, Dumb & Blonde too, where she covers
Thompson Twins' I Want That Man. A commercial failure but a decent
Blondie album, just one under her own name.
For more overviews, interviews and reviews by Graham Reid see:
More than four decades after their self-titled debut
album, Blondie return with Pollinator, with songs
written byTV OnThe Radio's David Sitek, Sia, Johnny
Marr and others, including original members Debbie
Harry and Chris Stein. But let's cherry-pick their back
catalogue… WordsGraham Reid
Feist Pleasure
On her fifth album Pleasure, Leslie
Feist expands upon her well-honed
baroque pop, making daring leaps
into previously uncharted territory
while writing the strongest songs of
her almost 20-year career. Opening
track Pleasure creeps under your
skin before erupting into a gritty
guitar line that has Feist’s vocals
soaring over the chaos. I Wish I
Didn’t Miss You is an impassioned
acoustic number that highlights
Feist’s raw power, while Lost
Dreams haunts with its tenderness.
A Man Is Not His Song features
a stunning backing choir that
accentuates Feist’s grandness. Later
she’s joined by none other than
Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker on Century,
who thrills with his distinctive
vocals. If you’re a lover of well-
crafted indie rock and appreciate
music’s mellower moments, then
prepare to fall in love with Feist.
(Universal) Holly Pereira
Wavves You're Welcome
Wavves’ Nathan Williams, once
the archetype of Millennial brat
rock, is alleged to have grown
up in recent years. Having gone
through the major label ringer and
come out with his own label intact,
one thing that never changed was
Williams’ ability to write razor-
sharp hooks with hypnotic ease.
And while You’re Welcome has no
shortage of no-bullsh-t fuzz-pop
(Million Enemies, No Shade, the
title track), not everything’s as
gloomy as it once was: Animal,
Stupid In Love and Under are all
different takes on a love song, and
even on penultimate track Dreams
Of Grandeur when Williams sings
“Paradise is lost,” he follows with
“Now I just pray to live long.” No
longer the No Hope Kid, Williams
is trying to make something that
might last.
(Inertia) Jake Cleland
Blondie
Pollinator
Mustering an impressive roster
of collaborators, Pollinator shows
Blondie have nothing left to prove.
A more insecure band might
feel compelled to self-assure by
blocking off the outside world.
Instead, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein
and Clem Burke invite modern
contemporaries Dev Hynes, Charli
XCX, Sia and more for a record
that puts the 'new' back in New
Wave. Harry’s vocals still shimmer
with the spunk they showed on
Blondie’s self-titled debut, full
of allure, mischief and mystery,
and swaddled in arrangements
that bring churning punk riffs and
vibrating synth melodies together.
Pollinator confirms Blondie are still
the life of the party.
(Liberation) Jake Cleland
Thrupence
Ideas Of Aesthetics
Ideas Of Aesthetics' nine tracks
travel an eclectic rollercoaster of
emotions, all created by Melbourne
musician/creative director/man
of many talents Thrupence – AKA
Jack Vanzet. The opening trio
proceeds like a mini-movie score:
Forest On The Sun is brimming
with optimism, Rinse Repeat is an
indulgent climax and Honesty is
the sobering come down. There is
a beautiful balance in the record's
two collaborations: Vanzet’s brother
Edward provides the lingering
vocals to Conversations, a track
entwined with heavy themes of
depression and psychosis and
bathed in intricate, ominous tones,
while Atmos takes a sharp turn and
emerges as the most upbeat track
on the album; it features Future
Classic label mate Wafia and a
feverish beat.
(Future Classic)Tim Lambert