(the lead up to one of the most famous climaxes of the Bronze Age, as Jean Grey makes the ultimate sacrifice -- "The Fate of the Phoenix" The Uncanny X-Men, 1st series, #137, Chris Claremont)
(Image by Jonathan Jordan (c) 2009 - a totally bada** photo of Phoenix Rising or whatever - appreciate the beauty I say!)
So Phoenix (that French band I seem to talk about so much here on this site) has their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009) FINALLY being released here in the US on May 26th, 2009 a day after its release to the rest of the world on May 25th, 2009. I have been listening to it and it is good! I mean really good. That sample track "1901" I played for you all, is just a taste of that post punk-pop-funk-I dunno - FUN! The hell with trying to categorize it, it is just FUN!
Here is an un-Official Fan Video of 1901 that if I were Phoenix I would buy b/c it is pretty damn good and I'd like to see them do a better job.
Here is the rest of the album to fully "whet your appetite" (psych! lol...the entire album for download is available at high mp3 quality 160 bitrate below) that officially went for sale on at the US iTunes store and AmazonMP3.
The album starts off with fully Euro-techno beat background on it's first track "Girlfriend", which is fun, upbeat, almost like U2 without the over-dubbing that a lot of newer U2 falls pray to. Apparently in looking at other reviews and stuff about Phoenix, they lots of "industry connections", I don't know about all that or give that kind of comment much weight. Lots of musicians out there have these supposed "inside connections" like Jakob Dylan and a slew of others such as Pete Yorn on the Coldplay tour whose brother AND sister are like super agents tied into the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Marty Scorsese, Cameron Diaz and Benicio Del Toro.
Honestly for all their nice little tunes, they get more play off of one hit wonders or opening for bands accused of plagerisms. Yes Coldplay is being sued by Cat Stevens and Joe Satriani and maybe others, I haven't looked that much, but it is making new. I honestly don't think it is has much weight, these complaints, but that is me.
The old Irish (I believe, correct me if it's not Irish), saying goes something like this "When one person calls you a horse, you say 'meh' you're f'ing crazy...when 4-5 people call you a horse you still think they are crazy, but also start wondering "hmm"...when 10+ people call you a horse? Best time to get yourself a saddle lassie!" So really who knows and who cares, who Phoenix knows or who needs saddles or whatever, lol.
Now back to Phoenix (sorry the ADD got ahold of me there)...the album delivers. It has that sound that Actung Baby had only it's newer and fresher and less indulgent than U2 (sorry guys, but it's true, Bono you can be a big look at me baby, but we still love you). This album drips the new and the old, techo euro-trash dance or whatever you call it with catchy pop riffs and a really likable album.
I REALLY like "Armstice" and the keyboard, organ thing they use and the driving force of the song. It's a "get you" song like I talk about with Matthew Barber's album review of "Ghost Notes". The song "Lisztomania" is appearently, "coined by the German romantic literary figure Heinrich Heine to describe the massive public response to Franz Liszt's virtuosic piano performances. There were allegedly screaming women at these performances, and the audience was sometimes limited to standing room only." Who knows how they came up with that one, but it's another soon to be hit and these hits are building up. I mean this album is catchy, but not in a Britney (and this link of the 10 hottest all grownz up Mousekateers, which I am sorry, but it's a Friday night and I had to add) way and maybe that is why SNL sought them out, they saw that this is one good album.
Here is the OFFICIAL Phoenix - "Lisztomania" Video
Even "Fences" is a slower, equally hip with the mixer groove, but slower and again danceable. The entire album is made for the "disco" that is so beloved all over the rest of the world and something we Americans don't get. We either look for those club where rap is blasted too loud or music is played so you can do the whole rub on each other thing that, the Europeans don't do, they dance and they love it. And this album is made for them and we (being Americans) just happen to be lucky enough to get to be privy to it. Will it take off here, I do not know, I am not a top 200 Billboard kinda guy, but I do know I like, I think others will too and I think it's what people would term "HOT".
I think the song that really takes the album and shows off all of its traits in one track is "Love Like A Sunset" a slow building, techno beating song that is subtle in its luring you in, to where it slowly transitions from pure dance club tune to a guitar and vocal song that reminds me of My Bloody Valentine "Sometimes" or Smashing Pumpkins "Starla", two of my favorite songs that are worth pointing out when describing "Love Like A Sunset" part 1 and part 2, which I ripped together for a seamless sound. Trust me it works.
The album closes with "Countdown - Big Sun" with its organs and high pitch falsetto, whatever you call that kind of Billy Corgan, Mazzy Star, Brett Dennen vocal that is so smooth with a techno silk beat. I have loved the Smashing Pumpkins and their Siamese Dream (recorded Triclops Sound Studios in Atlanta, GA as they lived in Marietta, which explains all those Pumpkin shows growing up around here- a lil shoutout to my hometown)/Gish sound where they let D'Arcy's (the girl in the band/bassist) vocals runneth over, bleed the sound, something Phoenix does so well, while not having a girl, they are comprised of Thomas Mars, Deck D'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz who are able to let their vocals drift from that punker tone to that dreamy tone. "Girlfriend" and "Armistice" songs that remind me more of Pavement's Slanted & Enchanted and one cannot forget that they did get to play SNL and that isn't something tossed around lightly. Being on SNL is rare and while I personally think they played it safe by playing "1901" and "Listzomania" I am not going to complain because it gave them exposure. I think had they gone out and rocked a "Love Like A Sunset" or "Fences" the critics might have been less harsh at least here in the States where bashing the French is almost as much fun as THIS, we can still enjoy "1901" the SNL version,
Overall I don't think Phoenix does anything NEW, like musically reinvent the wheel, but they do what THEY DO well and this is a great album especially if you like their other stuff. I'm a Phoenix fan, I was waiting for this album and not disappointed at all with what we got. Was it a perfect score no, but perfection is a myth just like perky boobs after kids sans the implants. "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" is a good album, worth the money or if you got Riddled Phantasms route as promised here is the download file share from my personal collection that I paid for and am allowing you share ...
ENJOY!
(I promise they are in order once you click on the dl link to 4Shared...this is brand new, no violations, nothing, I remade the bitrate at 330!!! That's as good as it gets folks, that is the uber crisp /\\/ ! ;p)
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