Find out what Yoel and Joe of ‘Songs That Are Good’ have to say about Foxygen’s second full-length album We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic.
Yoel’s take:
I love this album. This is despite the fact that in many ways it’s pretty derivative. “No Destruction” could easily have been on a later Velvet Underground album (maybe Loaded?). “San Francisco” would not be out of place on the Kinks’ classic The Village Green Preservation Society. Many of the other songs strongly recall Sgt. Pepper’s era Beatles, early Rolling Stones, or 60’s pacific northwest garage rock. But I don’t care. I feel like this takes what I liked about Tame Impala’s recent album Lonerism and makes it better and catchier. There’s not a song I dislike, and many that I really really like.
Favorite songs: San Francisco, Oh Yeah, No Destruction.
Overall score: 9/10.
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Joe’s take:
Music inspired by the 60s and 70s is really not my thing. But this album is excellent. This very much reminds me of the new Tame Impala album, but whereas that album has one great track, a lot of very listenable songs, and a couple of clunkers, almost every song on Foxygen’s album is very good, a fact that is remarkable given how different the songs are from each other. I’m a fan. This is a fun and interesting album.
Favorite songs (in order, at this very minute): San Francisco, No Destruction, We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic
Least favorite song: Bowling Trophies (which is still a good song)
Overall score: 8/10
Originally published February 7, 2013.
