The obvious next step for retro-rock revivalist duo Foxygen is an embrace of the epic double album, and you can instantly visualise …And Star Power’s 1970s-style cover gracing a gate-fold sleeve in its vinyl format. It’s not the sort of album that will instantly charm you, unlike last year’s minor classic We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic. But it does pull you into with its wild, wavering force, particularly during its classic-rock opening quintet (knowingly subtitled The Hits) and the four-part Star Power Suite, combining to make a satisfying first side that easily matches their past work.
With 24 tracks clocking in at 82 minutes, you can pretty much throw consistency out the window. The organ-led Mattress Warehouse, the Stones-like garage thrash of 666 and the drugged-out grooves of Cannibal Holocaust stand out as highlights in the album’s Side Two: The Paranoid Side, but then patience is sorely tested with the freeform but fumbling Side Three (Journey Through Hell) and a soggy couple of soft-rock ballads weighing down the end of the album. You could argue that there’s enough on here to make one great album that’s half the length of …And Star Power, but there’s no denying that its sprawling length, raw production and willingness to experiment is all part of its cosmic charm. It’s certainly an… experience.
BY CHRIS GIRDLER
Best Track: Mattress Warehouse
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Embryonic FLAMING LIPS, The Pod WEEN, Lousy with Sylvianbriar OF MONTREAL
In A Word: Ambitious
