Blondie - Ghosts of Download

One way or another, Blondie was bound to succeed. Fronted by Marilyn Monroe-lookalike Debbie Harry, the band topped the charts throughout the late 1970s and early ’80s with hits like “Heart of Glass” and “The Tide is High.” Harry, a onetime beautician and Playboy bunny, changed a generation’s sense of style with her unique approach to fashion—from thrift-store finds and Day-Glo outfits to biker leathers with leggings and cat suits with metallic make-up. Now 69, Harry keeps moving Blondie forward. The new wave sensations’ 10^th album features plenty of cutting-edge dancefloor tracks, including “Sugar on the Side,” a sweet reggae number with Colombian stars Systema Solar, and a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ’80s anthem “Relax.” The album’s most daring boundary-pusher is “A Rose By Any Name,” a duet between Harry and Beth Ditto of the Gossip that delivers a bisexual message over a cool electronic beat. Always provocative, Blondie remains pop’s adventurous trailblazer.