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Buy this album!! Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

I have an expensive yet satisfying habit of buying or picking up every music-related magazine that I see. I then proceed to read them all cover-to-cover, regardless of the genre of music being written about. I have learned a lot about music this way and while my wallet protests its overuse, the musical side of my brain laps every word up.

I recently ripped through FADER Magazine’s Summer Music issue and read an excellent interview piece with the members of Phoenix, a pop-rock quartet from France. Although I had never heard of the band, I was intrigued by the contents of the article and promptly trotted over to HMV to grab Phoenix’s latest release, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. If you have $13 kicking around somewhere, I highly suggest you spend it on this CD.

Imagine this scenario. The members of MGMT, Sonic Youth, TV on the Radio and Of Montreal all get together at a nightclub in Versailles and start to jam. You walk past this nightclub, unaware of its occupants, and you hear music drifting up through an open air vent. Your first thought isn’t, “Oh, I bet that is TV on the Radio, Of Montreal, Sonic Youth and MGMT all jamming.” You are definitely thinking, “Holy $#!*! That’s Phoenix!”

While Phoenix may remind listeners of certain bands, its music remains entirely unique. Sonically, the group is very layered and has many different dimensions. With two guitars in the mix, Phoenix has managed to incorporate some rock into what is very much a pop album. While it’s easy to get caught up in Phoenix’s quirky and unpredictable rhythms, it’s worth your time to focus on the lyrical side of things. The members of Phoenix are very talented songwriters, and their lyrics add a satisfying depth to the music.

To put it simply, my favourite thing about Phoenix’s music is that it’s really happy. It makes you want to dance, sing, and pretty much act like a loser in your living room. I can promise you that if you’re in a bad mood, listening to Lisztomania or Lasso would very much change your tune.

This band has me calling for a “pop revolution” in my CD collection. (Don’t get the reference? Read the FADER article!) If you need to mix things up in your musical life, go buy Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix! Don’t have the cash for the whole thing? (Legally) download 1901, then start doing your chores, because you’re going to want that $13 for the rest of this album.

Image credit: Copyright 2006 - Nicolas Toutain