#1232 Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery

Around now it sounds like ELO is out of tricks, everything getting a little mushy and overdone, with too much disco, too much easy McCartney melodicism, too little ambition and scope. Horace Wimp has some striking drop-hit-swoop-swoon dynamics and structures, but being buried on the graves of Mr. Blue Sky and A Day in the Life makes it hard to rock along unhaunted. Nothing else here really distinguishes itself, not even lesser single Don't Bring Me Down - if there'd never been an ELO album before this'd be decent (but still derivative). As it is, there's too little new to bother with 2.5/5