Song of the Day 8/8: Free Energy, “Free Energy”

Cleaning out a CD rack this weekend I ran across “Stuck on Nothing,” the debut album from this Philadelphia-based power pop quartet. Critics mostly loved it, and Rolling Stone called them one of the best new bands of 2010.

They sounded a lot like Fountains of Wayne without the sense of humor — Free Energy was celebrating power pop, not slyly winking at it. Unfortunately, 21st century kids are less receptive to tunes about dancing and making out with girls than we were in the ’70s, and the album didn’t sell much. But it does brim with energy.

The band’s second album, “Love Sign,” was released in 2012 with more promotional muscle behind it, including a video budget. Critics still liked them, but some noted that their only evolution was from sounding like the Cars to sounding like Cheap Trick. The band toured internationally behind the LP but, without a hit and minus the new-kids buzz, broke up afterwards.