Bruce Springsteen: Magic

It's tempting to call Bruce Springsteen's rock-oriented Magic a response to The Killers, The Hold Steady, The Arcade Fire, and every other band beholden to the Springsteen mythos. But honestly, Magic doesn't sound like the Springsteen those bands know. Yes, there are traces. The frat-rocker "Livin' In The Future" nods to "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," while the breezy lyricism of "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" vaguely recalls "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," and the title track simmers softly like "I'm On Fire." But mostly, Magic suggests a direction Springsteen could've gone after Born In The USA, had he not dissolved The E Street Band. This is a big, slick arena-rock record—almost anachronistically so.