Phoenix – 'Bankrupt!' review
It’s been four years since Phoenix made the leap from European indie curios to chart-topping conquerors of America, and this follow-up to their breakthrough Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is careful not to fix anything that ain’t broke. Accordingly, Bankrupt! sticks to its predecessor’s formula of modish new romanticism combined with the sunshine prog of ELO, delivering a set of punchy, compact pop songs almost custom designed to be blaring from a radio at some point this summer.
That said, Bankrupt! is not a complete rewrite: the title track, twice as long as any other on the album, dabbles in Floydish symphonic flourishes, with mixed success, and elsewhere it’s clear that Phoenix are keen to borrow from more serious parts of pop’s past than before. That makes for a progression, of sorts, but while there’s nothing on Bankrupt! that packs the same irresistible melodic punch of 1901, its best moments, especially the closing Oblique City, come when the band are trying their least.
7/10
