When their 2007 debut Oracular Spectacular was a surprise hit, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser could have taken the easy option and gone on to achieve ever-diminishing returns in trying to replicate its bioluminescent brilliance. Instead, they’ve since plotted their own course, taking in low-key psych-folk, acid-rock and most recently synthpop on 2018’s excellent Little Dark Age. Their fifth album is yet another shift in direction, its moodboard heavy on mildly downbeat soft rock and the Flaming Lips at their most awestruck, albeit without the albatross of Wayne Coyne’s awful voice around its neck.
But while each song is exquisitely crafted, ornate pop without much in the way of winning hooks makes for an unsatisfying triumph of style over substance, and there’s precious little here that sticks. Christine and the Queens duets on Dancing in Babylon, a keyboard-heavy ballad that’s so 1980s you can practically touch the shoulder pads and rolled-up suit sleeves. Bubblegum Dog is more engaging for its muscular delivery and surreal lyrics, and there’s a sense of space to the soaring Nothing Changes. Ultimately, though, for all its gloss, Loss of Life feels a little disappointing.
