MANILA, Philippines - Here are the latest releases from two bands that have been personal favorites over the years. If I were planning some long road trip, it would always be a sure bet that I’d have the music of these two bands accompanying me — music that grows on you, makes you want to sing along and helps make the trip much more bearable.
Phoenix — Bankrupt (Warner/Atlantic). French bands such as Phoenix and Daft Punk have made great music over the years while remaining on the fringe, just short of hitting mainstream success. While Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix may have meant commercial acclaim for Phoenix, I still prefer its earlier output, like the CD It’s Never Been Like That, and the first single that caught my attention, If I Ever Feel Better. While the band wrote that Bankrupt would be a more experimental album, its fans will be happy to hear that it’s really more of the same bright-eyed, sparkling music that we love the band for. Entertainment, Drakkar Noir and Bourgeois are my immediate choice tracks. A French band composing songs with English lyrics, listen to the second line of Drakkar, when the saying of two French words reveal what the band’s first language really is — precious. This is one album that will enjoy repeated play. I can’t wait for the next one!
Fall Out Boy — Save Rock and Roll (MCA Universal). Thanks for the Memories was a song that my two younger boys sang at the top of their lungs, whenever it would play on our road trips together five years ago. While it’s been some time since the band’s last studio album, the band shows it may have grown a bit longer in the tooth, but is ready to churn out the kind of music we’ve identified as its own. Guests on the CD include Elton John on the title track, and Courtney Love on Rat A Tat. My middle boy, Matteo, jokes that the best songs of the band are always the ones with the “kilometric†titles, and on this new album, the nod goes to My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up). Miss Missing You and Where Did the Party Go are my current favorites. While it’s nice to see Sir Elton guesting on the CD, I don’t think he actually contributes much to the song’s impact, an anthemic-type song that should work in stadiums.