Disco de Phoenix: “Alphabetical (Bonus)”

Before Air became America's favorite French duo, Phoenix were their backing band. So when the former indie punks from the Paris suburbs debuted with 2000's United, the surprise was that they sounded neither particularly electronic nor French - singer Thomas Mars, who might have hailed from L.A. or London, had the uncanny ability to sing feverishly and tenderly in English. Alphabetical, coming after the quartet's dazzling single "Too Young" fired the karaoke scene in Lost in Translation, extends the band's blurring of '70s pop-rock intimacy and warm rhythms. From "Everything Is Everything" - which jumps with the acoustic sparkle of AM radio - to more contemplative ballads such as "(You Can't Blame It On) Anybody," these songs create a series of vivid but minimal soundscapes.

Phoenix is such a dynamic group and they have really suprised me with this new CD of theirs. It's so different from their last one but it absolutely carries the signature of this awesome band. Not many bands can do what Phoenix did and come out with a completely different "groove" on a CD and have it sound better than the first. Phoenix is definitely my favorite band now. My favorite songs on the album are "Love for Granted", "If it's not with you", and "Holdin' on Together". But, the whole album is really good and a totally fun CD to listen to, I highly suggest purchasing it if you are a fan.

I mean it. But this album is that good. It's my favourite album of the year - either the year it came out, 2004, or the year I found this, 2005, take your pick. As with the very best albums, there is barely a wrong note in the entire CD, let alone a bum track.

Trying to describe the appeal of music that doesn't have much of a signature other than its quality is tough, but if I tried I'd say it's warm, catchy, and moving (in both senses) - with shades of the best bits of Hall and Oates in couple of tracks. It compels you to pay attention, sing along if you can, dance if you're able - so try not to listen when you're performing surgery, flying a plane, or trying not to make a fool of yourself.

Now I have to go off and submit a couple of two-star reviews to make up for this.

This album falls into the love it or hate it category or perhaps the "it does it for me" or "it doesn't do it for me" category. If it works for you, you probably won't be able to get enough of this album. If it doesn't, you probably won't ever appreciate it. That said, Phoenix does the electronica chill out vibe very well. It's not downtempo, exactly, maybe subdued uptempo. This is electronica in the evolved keyboards and oh, they changed the beat a little, sneaky! school--kind of knobtwiddler stuff but warmer--not the wacky sample driven school. Take that and match it to slightly accented English which will either be very endearing or incredibly annoying, and you've basically got the formula behind this album. The result is hypnotic and often lovely, with some real feeling and lyrical tenderness evident. The Postal Service reference that another reviewer makes is not misplaced. While not analogues--Phoenix's sound is richer, more uptempo, while Postal Service (which I love) is an exercise in deliberate sparseness--there is a similar vibe once the superficial differences are pared away. Both are emotional and yet cool, almost calm, never offensive. (Compare the genius DJ Shadow, who will usually manage to strike one false or jarring note in the course of an album.) Both offer an intelligent pop take on electronic music with some originality and quirks. Like The Postal Service, I can listen to this album for hours.

Highly Recommended, but listen first.

even better than their very fine debut , this is the album i've been playing most the back half of this year. It has a kind of seventies american soft rock feel at times and is also reminsecent of Air in the drifty, nostalgic slow numbers. Sublime .......