Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

by Phoenix

Overview

Realigned with Philippe Zdar, the half of Cassius who mixed United, Phoenix make adjustments on the polarizing characteristics of their second and third albums -- the pokey and occasionally listless Alphabetical, the jagged and tune-deficient It's Never Been Like That -- with some of the most direct and enjoyable songs they've made to date. The two opening songs, the bopping "Lisztomania" and the buzzing "1901," are so immediate and prone to habitual play that the remainder of the album is bound to be neglected. There is plenty to like beyond that point, including "Lasso," which niftily alternates between a tangled rhythm and tight-spiral riffing, and the labyrinthine "Pt. 1" of "Love Like a Sunset," which serves the same purpose as the extended instrumental passages on Roxy Music's Avalon, at least until its rousing conclusion and shift into "Pt. 2." Beyond containing the band's best, most efficient songwriting, the album also stands apart from the first three studio albums by projecting a cool punch that is unforced. Vocalist Thomas Mars, more bright-eyed and youthful than ever, also sounds more a part of these songs, rather than coming across as a protruding element that clashes against the instruments. Maybe they've just hit their stride. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	05/26/2009
Label:	Glassnote Entertainment Group
UPC:	5054526539976
Rank:	53098

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Phoenix   Primary Artist
Christian Mazzalai   Guitar
Thomas Hedlund   Drums,Sampling
Philippe Zdar   Drums
Cedric Plancy   Flute
Robin Coudert   Marimba
Laurent Brancowitz   Guitar
Thomas Mars   Vocals
Deck d'Arcy   Guitar (Bass),Bass

Technical Credits

Laurent Brancowitz   Artwork,Composer
Thomas Hedlund   Drum Samples
Julien Delfaud   Engineer,Audio Engineer
Florent Livet   Audio Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Fabien Courtois   Audio Engineer,Technical Engineer
Arnaud Chag Baratin   Production Coordination
Pascal Teixeira   Art Direction
Philippe Zdar   Mixing,Producer,Audio Engineer,Mixing Engineer,Audio Production
Cedric Plancy   Engineer,Stage Manager,Audio Engineer
Shoichi Kajino   Photography
Julien Naudin   Audio Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Marc Alary   Typography
Christian Mazzalai   Composer
Thomas Mars   Composer
Deck d'Arcy   Composer
Phoenix   Audio Production,Producer,Composer
Mike Marsh   Remastering,Mastering