Phoenix Rises From the Ashes

I'm definitely behind the ball on this one, but y'all might've caught a glimpse of the rather colorful album cover for Phoenix's 'new' extravagent LP Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Don't let it fool you; each and every song is carefully-crafted, fun-loving, dance-inducing pop-rock. Phoenix knew that they had a gem on their hands after the recording process. Phoenix first appeared on my radar after 'If I Ever Feel Better' (album: United) accompanied the credits after an episode of the hedonistic (but awesome!) series Entourage. However, much of the American public doesn't have the luxury of access to HBO. So, through a heavy marketing campaign which included appearances on Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, the french rockstars have finally broken through in the United States (four albums and nine years later), and will be welcomed into the country with a sold-out tour. This is one effort that won't be avoided by the even the most passive mainstream music fans.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is an exciting installment of feel-good rock, infused with smooth electronic grooves and the buoyant vocals of Thomas Mars. Although excursions into the world of synth aren't unknown to the band, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix uses that as its singular focus. The singles, 'Lisztomania' and '1901' are classic, catchy Phoenix: pleasing to the ear if played on repeat. The band was never much for the raw sound, like the Fratellis or the Hives, but neither are they Daft Punk imitators (although guitarist Laurent Brancowitz was once in a band with the two members of Daft Punk). Instead, Phoenix finds itself torn between the frenetically energetic alternative rock of bands from the UK and the deep-seated electronic legacy of France. The resulting is a hybrid album that is innocent fun from start to finish, the perfect soundtrack for a road trip on a sunny day or a late-night dance party in a dorm room.