For a little something different, for better or for worse, I am going to be doing what I call a first impression review of this, one of the more prolific releases of 2013 for sure. In anticipation of their performance this summer at Lollapalooza (which I will be present for), the new album from Phoenix is most certainly a “don’t miss” in my book. So, here we go…
Maybe it’s the fact that I just saw Oblivion in theaters a few days ago, but I’m feeling a heavy M83 vibe from “Entertainment,” giving me this soaring feeling within. This is also the only song I really knew ahead of the album. Thomas Mars pauses effectively in the chorus, drawing out the hook to its apex. “The Real Thing” continues the M83 vibe, taking us down an 80s-esque new wave route. I’m not really sure what Mars is singing, but the whole thing sounds great anyway. “S.O.S. In Bel Air,” aside from having one of my favorite song titles in recent memory, has one of the most angsty hooks I have heard in a while as well. “You can’t cross the line but you can’t stop trying” repeats seemingly ad infinitum, stopping when absolutely necessary. “Trying to Be Cool” is still catchy, but this characteristic is outweighed by the odd time signatures and overall trippy feel – perhaps the song is taking itself too seriously?
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86_TqlVQscQ&h=297&w=450]
The record takes a strange turn at the title track, which is nearly seven minutes long. What amounts to more or less a creepy interlude sounds like someone playing with a drum machine and synth pad for five of the seven minutes. Mars’ voice redeems the track to something great, even though it wasn’t all that bad to start. “Drakkar Noir” tickles our eardrums with arpeggios and “Chloroform” eases back into the eerie undertone set by the title track slightly, with a pensive chorus. “Don’t” has a dark vibe with an irresistible groove that ought to win the listener back, that is if they were ever lost in the first place. The ironically optimistic sounding “Bourgeois” has a vague aura of grandeur in the midst of its ambience. Finally, “Oblique City” is a fitting ending to a record that excels in the ambient realm, and entertains in the effective hook department. Just enough innovation is present throughout to keep me satisfied. After just one listen, I can say that Bankrupt will be one of the releases defining 2013 for me.
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