Breakfast in America

iTunes Review

Supertramp began the ‘70s as a progressive rock outfit inclined towards overwhelming self-indulgence. As the decade wore on, the band eschewed their epic songform and tightened their sound until 1979’s Breakfast in America completely transformed them into a hit-making pop music machine. Instrumentally, the group still had ornate flashes — woodwinds and keyboards will do that — but the tunes were mostly orchestrated to get to the hummable choruses, of which there were now many. The band specializes in sarcastic social commentary. “The Logical Song” emphasizes this philosophical bent and in good humor sounds like it was written with a rhyming dictionary on hand. The title cut highlights the band’s loner streak. And “Take the Long Way Home” casts an eye towards an isolating mid-life crisis. The lyrical jabs at mediocrity and the status quo float past almost without notice since the luxuriant ’70s AM radio pop with a touch of FM Hi-Fidelity, plush on the ears and soothing throughout, casts a mesmerizing spell.