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May 4, 2017If songs like these paint Pollinator as Blondie’s self-tribute album, who cares. They deserve it after all these years.
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MagnetMay 18, 2017The result is classic Blondie, the band's best album since it reunited--maybe its best ever. [No.142, p.53]
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May 5, 2017Flexing their muscles as they stretch their creativity, on Pollinator Blondie might not be testing any limits or redefining any capabilities, but they make thinking inside the box sound pretty damn fun.
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May 4, 2017The 71-year-old singer’s tales of youthful “racing down the Bowery” are wonderfully evocative, as Blondie rediscover their Midas touch.
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Apr 27, 2017The sigh of relief provoked by Doom Or Destiny morphs into a mile-wide smile as Pollinator unfurls some of the most resonant music Blondie have recorded during their second phase.
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Q MagazineApr 25, 2017Nothing here sounds forced. [Jun 2017, p.102]
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May 1, 2017Pollinator their 11th album, is fun, imaginative and quintessentially Blondie--it’s punk’s “good old days” retooled for a wretched century.
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May 5, 2017Delivering the synth-driven dance-rock it does best.
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May 5, 2017The group’s first LP since 2014’s Ghosts of Download plays brilliantly on their talent for blending genres and turning melancholy into melody. It’s a winningly astute addition to a catalogue too clever to be pinned down to a definitive style.
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May 4, 2017With a release as consistently robust as Pollinator, the remaining trio has tapped into past glories without sounding stiff, or worse, desperate. At this late stage, we can confidently call that a comeback and hope they still have a few more albums as strong as this in their tank.
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May 4, 2017Each [fan: Sia, Nick Valensi of the Strokes, U.K. pop-punk diva Charli XCX, avant-R&B star Blood Orange and more] puts their own reverent spin on the band's vintage neon Nu Yawk garage rock, as 71-year-old Debbie Harry has a catty good time all over the place.
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UncutApr 25, 2017Deborah Harry's voice has rarely sounded better, perhaps energised by material worthy to stand alongside the group's brightest back pages. [Jun 2017, p.24]
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Apr 25, 2017Two or three weaker numbers drag quality levels down, but Pollinator contains enough vintage Blondie spirit to get the old juices flowing again.
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May 11, 2017Although it has its moments, the end result is predictably uneven. Blondie’s commitment to tense and jumpy pop remains, even though Harry’s voice is more grounded some four decades after the band’s debut.
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May 1, 2017Granted, the majority of Pollinator isn’t nearly as compelling as its singles, but it’s Blondie, alright: older, wiser, and confident enough to make music that’s true to their identity.
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May 9, 2017What Pollinator does confirm is that there’s plenty left in the tank from Harry and Stein; next time, they might better realise that surrounding yourself with bright young things can often be the same as surrounding yourselves with your fans--and that they might well try too hard to please you.
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May 9, 2017Despite the divergent inputs, Pollinator still has the feel of a coherent album that’s enjoyable, if hardly essential.
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May 4, 2017It’s far from a perfect record, but it’s their best in years.
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May 4, 2017There's almost a charm in the way Blondie push so hard: it's hard to think of another legacy act so determined to play a part of the modern musical dialogue without losing their identity. If they're not always successful, there's nevertheless something ingratiating about the ambition.
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MojoApr 25, 2017Miraculously, the whole thing is given a neat completness by John Congleton's slick, electro-rock production. [Jun 2017, p.92]
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May 4, 2017They just sound like desperate grasps for something--anything--before the latter stages of the album slump into terminal dullness.
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May 9, 2017There 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.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 52 out of 61
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Mixed: 6 out of 61
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Negative: 3 out of 61
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May 5, 2017
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May 6, 2017
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May 12, 2021