It took Phoenix four years to release the follow up to their critically acclaimed ‘Wolfang Amadeus Phoenix’ and this comes as a surprise since from the very first time you listen to ‘Bankrupt!’ it sounds effortlessly fun. A feel good album that could have easily come out of a jamming session, but these French guys are perfectionist as vocalist Thomas Mars stated, and their new work is a wonderful reinvention of the 80’s, full of synths and unafraid to experiment with electronica. As the title of the opening track and single suggests, ‘Entertainment’, we are in for a psychedelic and upbeat album that makes you want to move your body to the shimmering guitar and mind-boggling synths. It gets better and better thanks to a very specific style characterized by its distinctive and colorful attitude. A good example would be second single ‘Trying To Be Cool’.
Mildly emotional but never dramatic the album becomes more organic when title-track ‘Bankrupt!’ kicks in; a six-minute journey with an intriguing minimal intro that adds texture and depth to this work. ‘Drakkar Noir’ feels slightly Daft Punk-ish but by now Phoenix’s album is a creature with its own personality, ‘Chloroform’ sounds young, fresh, and contemporary while ‘Bourgeois’ may just be the most passionate one. It creates a universal atmosphere, bold like a revolutionary generation that just wants to be understood. Closer ‘Oblique City’ somehow feels a bit out of space but it is integral to this album that finishes in style.