Pollinator
by Blondie
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 61 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 61
  3. Negative: 3 out of 61
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  1. CriticoDubioso
    May 24, 2017
    5
    Way too much Heart of Glass, not enough Dreaming.

    Blondie still can play, and Debbie still can sing. Why Debbie & Co decided to be Disco Blondie instead of Rock & Roll Blondie on this outing is anyone's guess. But most of this album incorporates that dreadful disco beat, and the band's punk rock roots are nowhere to be heard. Poor Clem Burke, still one of the best drummers in the    Way too much Heart of Glass, not enough Dreaming.

    Blondie still can play, and Debbie still can sing. Why Debbie & Co decided to be Disco Blondie instead of Rock & Roll Blondie on this outing is anyone's guess. But most of this album incorporates that dreadful disco beat, and the band's punk rock roots are nowhere to be heard.

    Poor Clem Burke, still one of the best drummers in the business, must be bored out of his mind playing Human Metronome while pumping out Pollinator's songs onstage.

    Ultimately, Pollinator is sad missed opportunity.    … Expand
  2. DavidWasHere
    Jul 29, 2017
    5
    It's a late career album. That's about as easy to say really. As much as I do love Blondie's past material in their hey day (Parallel Lines is one of my favorite albums ever), I was not all that impressed with this record sadly. A lot of the instrumentals and musicianship is as sharp as ever, and while Debbie clearly has aged with her vocals, they aren't too bad and can pass, at leastIt's a late career album. That's about as easy to say really. As much as I do love Blondie's past material in their hey day (Parallel Lines is one of my favorite albums ever), I was not all that impressed with this record sadly. A lot of the instrumentals and musicianship is as sharp as ever, and while Debbie clearly has aged with her vocals, they aren't too bad and can pass, at least because she does have some commanding power like she did back in the late 70s and early 80s (with the exception of When I Gave Up on You, she's just flat out awful!). Plus the new wave touches are nice. However what kills it is the production. The mixing and effects sounds awful on a lot of songs, like the opener with Joan Jett and the Fun. It doesn't really flatter the instruments when it's mixed to crap! Which is a shame because with better mixing the album would have been better. Still at least there's the track written by Dev Hynes, Long Time, and the one by Adam of yourmoviesucks.org, Fragments, that are worthwhile.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Most Discussed Album of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. Magnet
    May 18, 2017
    80
    The result is classic Blondie, the band's best album since it reunited--maybe its best ever. [No.142, p.53]
  2. Pitchfork
    May 11, 2017
    67
    Although 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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  3. Under The Radar
    May 9, 2017
    30
    There 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.
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