REVIEW: Blondie - Panic of Girls

1999's 'No Exit' spawned the no. 1 smash 'Maria' and to this day the opening four tracks of Blondie's comeback stick in my head, even if I can't remember the rest. Criminally, though 2003's 'The Curse of Blondie' lead single 'Good Boys' was a corker, I never listened to the album even though it sits in my dad's music collection.

I can't believe it's eight years since that single but now we have a new album by the 1970s-80s group, 'Panic of Girls'. Released, uniquely, as part of a magazine published by Future Publishing (add that to the list of ways people now release music!) and with some of the most disturbing artwork known to man, 'Panic of Girls' is surprisingly good and in parts stands up easily with their hits back in their prime.

Opening tracks 'D-Day' and 'What I Heard' are as catchy and memorable as any of their big hits and really kick off the album well, especially the second song that really announces that the band are here with its cracking chorus.

But it's lead single 'Mother' that shows the band can still write a fantastic tune in 2011. With some echoes of 1999 no. 1 'Maria', it's high-octane opening, singable chorus and general modern-sounding synths it deserved to do better in the charts than it did.

Fourth track 'The End The End' sounds very Caribbean and 'No Doubt'-like, though arguably it should be that Gwen's band sounds very 'Blondie'-like. And this summery feel continues through 'Girlie Girlie' and any minute you expect a young woman in a hula skirt to appear in your living room to serve you up a drink in a coconut.

'Love Don't Frighten Me' is probably the next big cut from the album with the return of guitars and a chorus pleasing to the ears. 'Words In My Mouth' is an average track that doesn't really do much for me, but 'Sunday Smile', which sees the return of the sunny shores of Barbados, is more my thing with a tune and chorus that washes over you like a nice warming tide.

'Wipe Off My Sweat' sounds like Aqua's 'Cuba Libre' but with an electronic makeover as if Fatboy Slim stumbled into the studio, told Debbie Harry to sing some words in another language, then returned to pick up his wife from Radio 2. But it's good enough.

'Le Bleu' announces itself with a lot of horns then descends into a very French-sounding tune with Debbie singing in French over a tune that sounds like it's the Continental version of Poirot, though I don't know if the lyrics are about a detective solving a murder, but the foreign lyrics do make my mind wander that she's asked for 'two 99s' in the bridge, but I doubt it's about chocolate flakes in an ice-cream. It's a great tune and I'm sure the lyrics are equally as good. Can't really complain about the track.

'China Shoes', the closing song 'bonus tracks' aside is a relaxing end to the album even if it's nothing incredible. 'Horizontal Twist' is Daft Punk wandering into the studio this time, asking Debbie to spew out lyrics in the style of 'Technologic', put some flanger on it, then disappearing in their robot suits. That said, the effect is actually effective (but does she sing 'Pop that Weasel'?) and the juxtaposition between the rapping verses and eerie chorus really works and makes this one of the top tracks on the album. So then it's back to Europe for the final song 'Mirame' with more brass, foreign lyrics and synth. As an instrumental, which it practically is, it's an ear-pleasing way to end the album if nothing outstanding.

Overall Blondie have managed to pull off a really great album, released in a unique way, that deserves to get heard widely even if it probably won't. 'Mother' has received a lot of air-play on Radio 2 and it really is one of the best singles of the year, and there are at least four great tracks on 'Panic of Girls' that could follow it. Even those tracks aside there's no real dud on the album and I approve of the band's experimentation in different styles throughout the 49 minutes of music. Definitely worth a listen and purchase and puts a lot of newer band's music to shame.

7/10