Moroni's Review of Phoenix's "Bankrupt!"

Previous to purchasing their new album "Bankrupt!", I had never really listened to French group, Phoenix.  I did own a copy of their fourth album, "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" released in 2009, but I had only downloaded that album for their single "1901".  That was a catchy pop song, and it went really well with the playlist that I developed for when I was working the fair circuits.  The song just grabs you and makes you want to dance.  It stayed on my playlist for two seasons straight.  I don't know why I didn't listen to the rest of the album.  Too busy, I guess.

So when I first listened to "Bankrupt!", I hated it.  Absolutely hated it.  It was too jazzy, to disco-y - something that seems common with a lot of French pop music, and something I dislike.  The whole album was too sappy, too... happy.

I think I posted something about this earlier - that many bands today have a nauseatingly giddy sound - fun., Passion Pit, etc.

But like Passion Pit, the more I listened to it, the more I came to like it.  There are still some aspects that are fairly annoying to me, but it is actually a pretty good listen.

The album begins with "Entertainment", and the first sound you hear are grating Chopsticks keyboards.  But if you wait for a few moments, you will see that these guys don't just produce mindless pop.  There is actually some well-crafted songwriting here.

This is no more visible than on the seven minute opus "Bankrupt!" which focuses on making synthesizer-driven sonic landscapes that would make Pink Floyd proud, a piece much like "Love Is Like A Sunset, Parts I & II" on their previous album.  These songs showcase their writing abilities, just like the song "Chloroform", which seems like a nod to the Beatles like many of their other songs.

There are some other upbeat pop gems here like "The Real Thing", "S.O.S. in Bel Air", and "Drakkar Noir".  My favorite song is the piano-heavy "Oblique City" where they seem to be channeling Elton John.

This album is a proof that one should not judge a book by the cover, or an album by the first listen.  There are actually several finger-tapping moments here.