After hearing so much about the so-called "Philly band," I had to hear what the hype was about. Hailing from St. Paul, MN and transplanted to Philadelphia, they create a retro-guitar rock album of pop tunes for the up and coming hipsters of today. There was so much hype about this band, similar to the arrival of the Strokes, but sorry to say, the Strokes kind of deserved the media attention. And as much as a Philly boy is supposed to not like the Strokes, I am a fan, but enough about those rich kids.
"Stuck on Nothing," the bands debut, opens with the song..."Free Energy." Not since Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden, has a band been so bold to name a song after the band, or vice versa, but a decent track nonetheless. Moving on, the second track "Dream City" is where it's at and definitely the best on the album. Perhaps these boys had big dreams when moving to Philly, and things are definitely going their way, but this song is as much "Thin Lizzy" as it is "Free Energy" I am afraid, but still a strong pop tune. "Bang Pop," another key track, very catchy tune, with a sing-a-long chorus in the style of a Pinkerton leftover, but that's not a bad thing. These two tracks are indeed, great pop rock tunes.
The rest of the album is pretty much moderate, not many highs or lows, just roll the windows down, or sit in the back of your friends pickup and wonder why you moved to this city. A city with so much hate for retro rock and roll? Well...not really, but Free Energy will have a tough road ahead without digging into more of who Free Energy is, than the crates of the classic rock record bin.
The Score: 6 out of 10 bells
The Math: Thin Lizzy + hipster chic = Free Energy
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