A few weeks ago, a little album from a Philadelphia rock group came out to very little mainstream fanfare, decent praise from the blogger types, and with hardly a first look from the big retailers. The album was Stuck on Nothing, from a band called Free Energy. It’s biggest claim to fame is that it was produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy. The album won’t be out in physical format until May, but its at all the digital outlets now, and it is well worth your time.
Stuck on Nothing is an unflinchingly upbeat, relentlessly happy chunk of power pop reminiscent of Thin Lizzy, Cheap Trick, and more recently, The All-American Rejects. Lead single “Free Energy” is the kind of flashy, sing like nobody’s listening jam that so many bigger name bands attempt, but never succeed at creating. “Bang Pop” is a bouncy jaunt that overcomes its silly chorus to become truly fun, a testament to Free Energy’s commitment to every single note of this record.If you need further proof that Free Energy are an unstoppable force of joy, check out their performance of “Free Energy” on The Late Show from a few weeks ago. (link provided in case the embed fails)
Look at the drummer just go to town on that cowbell. Holy crap.
The worst thing you can say about Stuck On Nothing is that it sticks very close to its influences. Shades of Cheap Trick, Steely Dan, and The Cars are all over this album, most notably on tracks like “Dark Trance” and the guitar solo to start off “Young Hearts”. On future albums, if Free Energy can expand on their influences and grow into their own sound, they would be by far the most refreshing thing to happen to pop music in nearly a decade.
Final Score: 8.7/10
Free Energy – Bang Pop [iTunes]
==TJ==
Filed under: Reviews Tagged: | Free Energy, Reviews, Things That Are Awesome
