It’s safe to say that few bands have had roller-coaster trajectories quite like Foxygen. Fronted by the classic rock record collection-loving duo that is longtime friends Sam France and Jonathan Rado, the Los Angeles band found success with its delightful 2013 album We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, which won over fans with playful melodies and producer Richard Swift’s trademark Technicolor flourishes that transparently captured the breezy pop psychedelia of mid-1960’s bands like The Zombies and The Kinks. But amid considerable hype and high-pressure expectations, Foxygen almost immediately began showing signs of unravelling.
A string of odd outbursts and internal turmoil dismantled some goodwill among its increasingly exasperated fans, and saddled the band with a reputation more for its chaotic antics than the music itself. Whether the on- and off-stage drama was blown out of proportion or not (France and Rado insist the rumors were always unfounded), Foxygen’s rapid rise and subsequent turbulence created ongoing speculation over whether it would put out a new album — and whether it would stick together at all.
But France and Rado seemed to put the indie tabloid noise behind them, first regrouping at their recently-built Dream Star Studios to write upwards of 50 to 60 new songs, and then decamping to L.A.’s famous Beverly Hills Hotel and Chateau Marmont to do additional recording and experimentation for what would become Foxygen’s follow-up album, …And Star Power. It’s only fitting that France, Rado and company are literally doubling down with a sprawling 24-track, 82-minute genre-morphing double album divided into four thematic sides, built upon an ambitious if ill-defined high concept — complete with multi-part suites and cosmic punk alter egos.
Like many concept albums, …And Star Power (out now via Jagjaguwar) can, at times, be an unwieldy mess of unfinished lo-fi sketches and meandering interludes in need of a good editor. But by giving listeners a lot of music to unpack, Foxygen (with a slew of guest stars) seems to be taking the opportunity to reinvent, evolve and possibly fold its own narrative back into the music. Stripped of the cosmic overtones, the heart of the piece is a journey into the throes of post-breakup depression with Sam France churning through the various motions of that experience: aimless disbelief and sadness, then drug-fueled fever dream madness, then, ultimately, wistful acceptance and hope.
After a mood-shifting intro, the deceptively chirpy sing-along “How Can You Really” reveals itself as a song about a relationship turning poisonous as the bliss fades away. Against some bouncy horn lines and plenty of hooks, France sings “How can you really love someone who can’t love you? / How can you love someone you can’t leave? / It’s my fault, it’s your fault too / How ’bout you go and find somebody who can love you?” — a sentiment that’s almost the polar opposite of Stephen Stills’ “Love The One You’re With.”
This first section showcases a handful of other poppy singles most akin to what fans will expect from the band: The soulful and swooning piano ballad “Coulda Been My Love” is perhaps the most romantic and melancholy track on the album, and the slow-building, droning “Cosmic Vibrations” is a gothic folk song that recalls George Harrison’s Beatles song “Long Long Long,” by-way-of Syd Barrett and Skip Spence, as the song toggles between a deep-voiced monotone and falsetto vocals.
On stage, Foxygen — now an expanded nine-piece touring outfit — has always used its taut songs as a jumping-off point for sonic exploration, putting on spooky performances that hinted at something far more sinister underneath the charm of its songs. …And Star Power fully embraces that approach, with tension and release sequencing that balances every intimate and melodic moment (“You & I”, “The Game,” “Flowers”) with something far weirder and unsettling — from boozy late-night folk (“I Don’t Have Anything/The Gate”), and boogying ramblers (“Freedom II”), to glam rock (“Brooklyn Police Station”), and shaggy punked-up bangers (“Talk”).
If the previous album represented the band’s ode to Summer of Love psychedelia, this one points to the creepier turns at the end of the decade, when the drugs got harder and a frayed paranoia kicked in. There are moments throughout a number of songs — especially in the back end with the scattered collage songs like “Cold Winter/Freedom” and “Can’t Contextualize My Mind” — where France’s hyperactive howls, coupled with dissonant bursts of static and feedback, sound like an acid trip gone horribly awry.
Still, as seething as this record gets, there are always traces of melody and sweetness to grasp onto. Finally, as the stormy dark night of the soul passes, Foxygen wraps things up with two melody rich curtain-call songs — “Everyone Needs Love” and “Hang” — which soar with memorable choruses, big organ interludes, scorching guitar solos, and ornate instrumental arrangements (glockenspiel! flute!) before closing with a soothing exhale.
…And Star Power is an album so overstuffed that it feels like the byproduct of a cluttered mind recklessly and obsessively tossing every oddball indulgence into each song. And like most projects that swing this big, there’s always a chance of missing. While not all of this record works 100 percent, there’s something admirable in Foxygen’s unhinged ambition; few bands embrace the unfettered creation process and descent into madness like France and Rado have here. And at its best, there are true moments of brilliance when you can hear these rapidly-firing musical synapses as they coalesce into wildly transcendent pop gems.