Nightclubbing is kind of like the Kraftwerk of dub. Every note calculated, pulled off with robotic precision, and just generally soulless. In other words, I find it quite boring. I would call myself a robot lover too, though that usually only extends to mecha and things not based in reality, because reality is dull.

There is palpable pop funk innovation on Nightclubbing which is made all the more remarkable by the fact that it was delivered in 1981. If Nightclubbing was a more popular album, you could call it one of the many that ushered in the pop stylings of the ’80s.

However, it’s the weird kind of innovative album that doesn’t deliver great music with its new style, meaning it sounds forced and unnatural, even if it came from the heart. There’s just enough on this album to make me believe Grace Jones has one at all, like in the contemplative people-watching lyrics of “Walking in the Rain.” Sadly, the intellectualism and faux-sophistication of a lot of alternative pop artists of the time such as Japan and Roxy Music always rubs me the wrong way, and Jones is no exception. It’s like they’re all wearing masks.

Hands down, the peak of the album is “Demolition Man,” where Grace Jones’s cyborg theatrics finally pay off as she goes on a rotary rampage like some kind of neo-Iron Man. The compliments only extend so far though, as the song is only credited to Sting. Jones didn’t even write the album’s best moment!

Also, believe it or not, the album cover is not a CG rendering of Grace Jones. It’s a real photo painting. Creepy, huh?