4th LP by the Well-Dressed Frenchmen of ‘Phoenix’ Arrives Early. Mislabeled, mis-sequenced, and almost three months before its official release date, French band Phoenix’s new record leaked online last week to cheers of excitement on message boards and blogs. The amazingly titled Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is the follow-up to the endlessly listenable It’s Never Been Like This, a glammy pop record that quietly ruled the summer of 2006 with its sing-along choruses and bratty romanticism. This new record finds them working again with Philippe Zdar of French house duo Cassius. Zdar first joined them on United, their first effort and most dance-oriented record to date, and his tasteful influence can be found throughout this thoroughly addictive album.
The opener “Lisztomania” is a jittery piece of guitar pop that finds lead singer Thomas Mars unable to make up his mind. “So sentimental,” he sings before correcting himself in the next breath with a paranoid, “Not sentimental, no.” Everything about the song oscillates excitedly, from Mars’ eager croon to the ricochet drums. It’s a welcome sonic advancement from a band whose only fault in the past has been a self-consciousness that’s sometimes left them sounding a bit stiff. Tracks like “1901”, “Lasso”, and “Armistice” find them in a similarly confident mode, relying on both poppy guitar riffs and some well-placed—and very French—synthesizers to create some of their most danceable tracks yet. FREE DOWNLOAD AFTER JUMP.