Album Review: Phoenix - Bankrupt!

Phoenix
Bankrupt!
Rating: Grrrr

Phoenix' breakthrough album, 2009's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is still a headscratcher for me. While it is a really good alt-pop record, there is a huge disconnect with me about it. I loved the singles but the rest of the album left me wanting; it was just a little too quirky, and lacked a certain charm. Even more puzzling is how the band has erupted since then into a festival headlining, SNL guesting, sold out touring juggernaut of epic proportions. So with the release of their new album Bankrupt! I was expecting basically more of the same, but perhaps a little more cleanly polished guitar rock. Imagine my surprise on my first listen to Bankrupt! how gloriously weird it all is. Working with Cassius member Philippe Zdar, Phoenix have ramped up the synths this go around eschewing the sleek guitar pop of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix for a more technicolor/widescreen vision.

First single "Entertainment" roars out of the gates with bright and shiny Japanese inflected synths, driving rhythms, and enough hooks to land a blue whale.



And the hooks keep coming along on the front half of the record. "The Real Thing" bounces old school drum machines and dense analog synths against each other into a swirling mass of hurricane epicness, "Trying To Be Cool" has a summery vibe with glass-like keyboard trails, while standout track "SOS In Bel Air" surges forward like ELO on acid.



After this onslaught of brilliant pop moments, the record interestingly takes a more experimental side trip. Title track "Bankrupt" is almost an interlude between the two halves of the record, toning down the bright neon glow of the first half into a somber, contemplative measure of delicately plucked guitars and psychedelic keyboards, merging into an over-the-top prog exploration that keeps changing, chameleon-like to whatever mood it feels like attaching. "Chloroform" mixes up drone keyboards, sludgy beats and Thomas Mars' world weary vocals, creating a gorgeous ballad that soars over the record,



while "Bourgeois" creates a melange of synthpop and chamber pop. While the back half of the record is certainly more sonically adventurous, Phoenix never forget that they are first and foremost a pop band, and keep the hooks coming fast and furious. Whether it is the slick K-pop sprinkled keyboards of "Drakkar Noir" or the balls to wall pace of Morodor-esque keyboards on "Don't," these French lads use every trick they have in their pockets, giving Bankrupt! an almost endless string of catchy tracks that are going to be this year's earworms.

For me, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a record that I was supposed to love but just couldn't wrap my arms around. Bankrupt!, however, is a warmer more inviting listen and just feels like a "Big Record." I am sure a lot of people are going to be puzzled by the ambition at play in these tracks, but I was immediately pulled in and enveloped in its buoyant energy. Finally, I get Phoenix, and it certainly was a long time coming.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.