Stuck on Nothing

At a glance, Philly classic rockers Free Energy seem like misfit toys on the dance punk-dominated DFA Records, but their debut full-length was produced by label honcho James Murphy, himself a connoisseur of good ol’ fashioned rawk prior to his days of NYC debauchery. Murphy excels behind the boards (in addition to providing a little bass guitar) in a role that finds producer and protégés stylistically bonding over crisp, lively guitars and old Springsteen LPs. With Murphy’s help, Free Energy’s opening statement (also titled “Free Energy”) is a rallying cry, easily one of rock’s most charismatic debut singles in recent memory. Then there’s “Bang Pop,” a fist-pumping slice of Cars-style power pop. Still, these Philly by-way-of Minnesota boys are undeniably rockers first and foremost, the type that would warm Paul Westerberg's midwestern heart. Their blissfully unpretentious lyrics, which are unafraid to embrace a little cliché here and there, are perhaps the best evidence of this. Check the second person, classic rock pep talk of “Dark Trance” as proof. The band struggles at times to expand on their basic formula over Stuck on Nothing’s ten songs, but there's plenty of reason to expect development down the line.