Album: Wolfgang
Amadeus
Phoenix ****
Artist: Phoenix
 If
it hadn't hit you yet that the eighties are back in style then a
quick listen to Phoenix's new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, will
make you dig out your shoulder pads, suspenders and make you tuck
your jeans into your boots to bust a move on some of their latest
tracks. Well perhaps the tunes are a bit more modern, considering
the evolution of music production, techniques, etc., but they definitely
have that happy to get your groove on feel like late seventies songs,
which trickled into the eighties.
Before the short-lived grunge revolution had started, which eventually,
and sadly, got overtaken by some awful pop rock like the Jonas Brothers
or James Blunt, there were funky, foot-tapping tunes. Phoenix delivers
the same melodies with creative sounds and lyrics while capturing
the quirky "funk-rock" element and displaying it in mainstream
fashion.
Their album opener, 'Lisztomania' serves as a taste for what the
album has to offer. Phoenix takes the personal tumult of 19th-century
classical composer Franz Liszt and uses it as an artistic argument
to set the tone of their album. The success of this sing-along song
is well documented as many a hipster will be humming or strutting
along wit this on their iPod.
However good 'Lisztomania' may be, it is not the best song on the
track list. Other numbers like 'Girlfriend' and 'Rome' charge at
you with the same appeal of smooth synth organs, catchy choruses,
supported by guitar riffs and solid beats of drum and bass. Similarly,
'1901' arrives with much of the same tunes and perhaps pertinent
lyrics, "I'll be anything you ask and more," relating
to Thomas Mars' significant other, Sofia Coppola (that's right,
the great Francis Ford Coppola's daughter).
The romanticism continues in another captivating number 'Girlfriend',
which boasts the line "Well you're far from home, I'm with
you now," all the while keeping with an upbeat mood.
That said, there are certain softer songs featured on the album
which highlight the broad scale that Phoenix work on. 'Fences' is
one such track that reveals the power of Mars' vocals. His voice
sways from a falsetto of sorts to a more mid that can only be described
as a melodious babble which is very pleasing to the ears. Couple
that with a funk beat and an awesome break between guitar and vocals,
and you will hum this song for an entire day, if not more.
As for the entirely subdued track on Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, 'Love
Like A Sunset'' seems to speak to listeners in all its simplicity.
From the opening drum beats down to the chorus, the track feels
like a sweet story told through some awesome musicianship. This
mellowness does not prevail, as the band stay true to funkier beats
that you can bounce to, with 'Lasso', 'Countdown' and the pertinent
'Armistice', which at times sounds a little broody.
A solid effort as a whole, the album was one Phoenix can be proud
of as they have matured and progressed from their breakthrough album
of 2006, It's Never Been Like That. They sound more confident in
Wolfgang which probably got them raving reviews from top critics.
The album is full of songs from a great band which caters to listeners
who crave that happy, danceable number on a night out. It might
not be worthy of an "album of the year" tag, but it surely
is one of the top ones of 2009. |
