Skip to content
Reviews

Blondie, ‘Panic of Girls’ (noble id)

Accept that the woman who taught the Muppets to love punk now has the hotly compressed vocal timbre of a Thai disco singer, and the latest reunion of this great New York band still holds many charms. With synths buzzing like neon, reggae barely winking at dancehall, and Debbie Harry intoning lyrics in French and Spanish, it sounds more ’80s than the actual ’80s. The tunes keep coming (from the power pop of “D-Day” to the lovely Beirut cover “Sunday Smile”), with enough irresponsible momentum and guitar grime to erase the feeling that it would all sound better live.