Description
Foxygen – … And Star Power – Double Vinyl Record
Foxygen – … And Star Power is the sprawling, ambitious fourth studio album by the California indie rock duo Sam France and Jonathan Rado, released on October 14, 2014, via Jagjaguwar. Known for their retro-leaning psychedelic pop and chaotic live energy, Foxygen took a big leap with this project: a 24-track double album that plays like a messy, kaleidoscopic concept record. Where their breakout We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic (2013) was concise and tightly crafted, … And Star Power embraces excess—blurring the lines between homage, parody, pastiche, and pure experimentation.
The album is loosely structured around the fictional band Star Power, an imagined alter ego that lets France and Rado explore different sonic personas. Across nearly 90 minutes, they touch on classic rock, lo-fi punk, glam, psychedelia, AM radio pop, experimental noise, and jam-band sprawl. This wide-ranging palette makes the album intentionally uneven: moments of brilliance are scattered among chaotic, fragmented interludes, mirroring the volatility of the band itself at the time.
Structure and Sound
The record unfolds almost like a theatrical performance in four loose “suites”:
The Hits – The opening stretch is the most accessible, with songs like “How Can You Really”, a soulful, piano-driven single reminiscent of ’70s Elton John or Todd Rundgren, and “Coulda Been My Love,” which dips into ’70s AM pop balladry. These tracks balance nostalgia with fresh hooks, showing Foxygen’s knack for reanimating classic rock tropes with sincerity and irony at once.
The Paranoid Side – Things start to unravel. Tracks like “Cosmic Vibrations” and “Star Power I-IV” meander through fuzzy guitar jams, tape hiss, and fragmented melodies. This section reflects the chaos and indulgence of the “Star Power” persona, with a deliberately unpolished, garage-like aesthetic.
The Star Power Suite – Here, Foxygen fully lean into lo-fi punk and experimental noise. Songs like “Cold Winter/Freedom” and “Talk” sound raw, almost demo-like, as if captured during a late-night jam session with tape rolling.
The Extended Finale – The album closes with longer, looser songs, such as “Everyone Needs Love” and the nearly nine-minute “Hang” (not to be confused with their later 2017 orchestral album Hang). These tracks bring moments of catharsis, but the sprawling nature of the closing sequence feels intentionally disjointed, reflecting the instability of both the fictional band and Foxygen themselves.
Lyrically and conceptually, … And Star Power deals with the chaos of youth, excess, and artistic identity. It blurs sincerity and parody, often sounding like Foxygen is both paying homage to and satirizing their musical heroes. The “Star Power” alter ego allows them to indulge in self-destructive rock-and-roll mythology—complete with breakdowns, false starts, and off-kilter improvisations.
Critical reception was polarized. Some praised the album’s daring scope and its raw, unpredictable energy, while others criticized it as indulgent, incoherent, and exhausting. Supporters compared it to the White Album–era Beatles or ’70s experimental double LPs, arguing that the chaos is part of the charm. Detractors felt the album was self-indulgent pastiche, with too many half-baked ideas. Either way, it cemented Foxygen’s reputation as one of the most volatile, unpredictable acts in indie rock.
Looking back, … And Star Power stands as Foxygen’s most polarizing and adventurous work. For fans, it’s a fascinating artifact of the duo’s ambition and instability, capturing the manic energy that made them both beloved and difficult. It’s not an album of seamless polish but rather a document of experimentation, youthful excess, and a band testing the limits of what a record could be. For some listeners, it’s exhausting; for others, it’s exhilarating—an intentionally chaotic ride through the record collection of two musicians unwilling to play it safe.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
I: The Hits & Star Power Suite
Star Power Airlines
How Can You Really
Coulda Been My Love 3:05
Cosmic Vibrations
You & I
Star Power I: Overture 1:41
Star Power II: Star Power Nite
Star Power III: What Are We Good For
Star Power IV: Ooh Ooh 1:50
II: The Paranoid Side
I Don’t Have Anything / The Gate
Mattress Warehouse
666
Flowers
ally’s Farm 1:58
Cannibal Holocaust
Hot Summer 1:49
III: Scream: A Journey Through Hell
Cold Winter/Freedom
Can’t Contextualize My Mind
Brooklyn Police Station
The Game
Freedom II
Talk
IV: Hang On To Love
Everyone Needs Love
Hang
