| Prefixmag |
 Philly power-pop revivalists Free Energy have come a long way in the last year. Plucked from relative obscurity by DFA label honcho and uber-producer James Murphy, the bands' self-titled debut EP and follow-up Dark Trace were met with near-universal acclaim, leaving high expectations for Stuck on Nothing, Free Energy's first full-length record. Featuring a mix of new tracks and material from the aforementioned EPs, Stuck on Nothing is a lighthearted, upbeat throwback to 70's-style pop-rock....full text |
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| Pitchfork |
Since Free Energy popped up on the grid a year ago, they've seemed out of place in a good way. No matter how flexible the definition has always been, they are not what you might call an "indie rock" band. It started with the five Philadelphians' first mpfree single last spring, "Dream City". The song is a distinctly American take on glam-boogie that immediately brings to mind teenage imagery: cruising around with friends late at night; inhaling bad beer way before you legally should; bottling the kind of wide-eyed, wild-haired feeling that galvanized Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. It has a huge, classic rock hook. It's frothy and light and waxed to a shine. It is both hopelessly hopeful and unabashedly corny. It is also really, really fun.
The rest of Stuck on Nothing, their long-incubating debut full-length, doesn't hold back either. Produced by James Murphy (and released on DFA, his braintrust for New York dance/cool), it's stuffed with equally ham-fisted hooks and melodies, all of which hit their marks without apology or guile. The band (formerly members of the Pavement-worshipping St. Paul, Minn., outfit, Hockey Night) hooked up Murphy simply by sending him demos of all the songs here. Since then, he took them into the studio to flesh everything out. And flesh he did: from cowbell to strings to Hammond to sax, 1970s studio flourishes gussy up all corners of the recording. The guitar sounds are rich and creamy, the bass fat and warm. In a way, Murphy's production work here is such an intergral part of the vibe, he comes off as a sixth member of the band. Everything pops, but the gloss never makes the songs here feel processed or too glossy. It simply fits them well....full text |
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| Allmusic |
| Free Energy is a quintet from Philadelphia, but they sound like they hail from Rock City, USA. Their debut album, Stuck on Nothing, is textbook rock & roll from the soaring guitar riffs, arena-rocking chants, and numbskull lyrics to the string sections, heavy grooves, and carefree attitude. It’s all done lovingly and with no jokes, crafted to sound like it should have been beaming through a tiny transistor radio in 1975, or pumping through a boom box in 1983. There are nods to Thin Lizzy, T. Rex, and mainstream AOR of the '70s, influences taken from power pop, soft rock, and epic metal, and, most importantly, they're great songs from top to bottom. The lead-off track, "Free Energy," would have been a huge radio hit in the late '70s, the only reason it isn’t in 2010 is because radio has changed (see also the Pooh Sticks in the '90s). The rest of the album would have filled out a block of good-time AOR jams with ease. The only clue that this record came out in 2010 is the lead vocals: Paul Sprangers sings with a laconic ease that wouldn’t have existed before Pavement. His lazy phrasing and slightly pitch-challenged style don’t wreck the illusion, though, they just add a human element in a way that a singer full of chest-hair and bravado could never have done. It certainly does nothing to detract from the uplifting, sunny vibe, nor does it make the tunes any less hooky and fun. This light touch and the innocence the bandmates bring to the album serve them well on the two tracks ("Hope Child" and "Wild Wind"), that end the album on an earnest and uplifting note that would have sounded corny otherwise. Stuck on Nothing isn’t going to change rock & roll history even a little, but for a good time, give the album a listen and you won’t be disappointed....full text |
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