Foxygen – Follow the leader (from the album Hang, Jagjaguwar)

Delirious sweeping white soul from the LA duo, adding some welcome bonkers baroque flourishes to the cosmic stew.

We like progressive tendencies around here and a part of this is a heady brand of progressive pop.

It comes on like Todd Rundgren arranged by Curtis Mayfield, with top notes of swooning strings and the middle ground full of wonderful staccato brass.

Apparently a 40-piece orchestra was involved on the album, arranged by Matthew E. White no less, and this song shows every sign of that (why bother says you if there wasn’t going to be every sign of it).

Not to get bogged down in politics, but this kind of vaguely unhinged and entirely distracting pop belter could be THE most effective political response in these times, know what I’m sayin?



*Plus check out this killer version live on Conan which is nothing less than joyous, while not surrendering an inch of its mad genius. Wielding a bomber jacket and eye shadow in place of a guitar, singer Sam France manages an unholy hybrid of David Bowie and Tom Verlaine, which really is some achievement.

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