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March 28, 2024, 08:51:30 PM

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Phoenix new album?

Started by Brainwrong, May 12, 2004, 10:34:17 AM

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Brainwrong

Err, yeah -
I bought Phoenix's debut 'United' when it came out about 3/4 years ago and thought it was the dogs billiards. Played it with baited breath to a few mates and there were shrugs. So it kind of died away and I forgot about them.
Until yesterday, when the new album 'Alphabetical' arrived through the letter box.
For those who have never heard of 'em. Phoenix are french, they do sun-kissed 70's pop/disco numbers and have vague links to Daft Punk -(Did a member of DP used to be in Phoenix? - summat like that.)
Anywho, the new one sounds great on first plays, less vaired and more self assured than the debut.
What do people think of Phoenix? Most overlooked band for a while, or retro by numbers pap pop?

I think they have talented hands.

mwude

United is marvellous.  I dug it out again when I first listened to Alphabetical having forgotten it for a while.  I'm struggling to say which album I prefer because I think they're both great.  The new one is what I was hoping the N.E.R.D album was going to sound like - great beats & catchy tunes.  I love the slower ones as well, they stay just the right side of being cheesy guff.

As regards the Daft Punk links I know that Thomas Bangalter helped out on Funky Squaredance (playing keyboards if memory serves).  That whole french scene seems very incestuous though - for example you'll see the name Stephan 'Alf' Briat in the sleeve notes for every single record that came from Paris during 1999 - 2002.  Well, that's a massive exaggeration, but all those frenchies do seem to help each other out quite often.  Oh, I dunno, ask the boston crab, he'll know.  Actually it was him what gave me the copy of Alphabetical in the first place.

Alphabetical doesn't have anything that jars, unlike United.  Party Time is my least favourite track from United because it's terribly placed.  It suddenly bursts in all rocky guitars & ridiculous shouty noise after the pleasant mellowness of the opening four tracks.  The new one flows much better & I think you've hit the nail on the head when you say it's "more self assured".

It's worth getting your hands on the acoustic version of Party Time though.  It came in a two track promo cd on the front of United.   It's recorded "Live at W FM" and there's a version of Too Young "Live at Metrostar" on there too.

mr rou-rou

off to see them on the 25th I think, top narna :)

I linked the album, videos and a couple of mp3's in a few links here on cab, just search 'phoenix' in this forum if the thread doesn't fill up with people enthusing.

only_sleeping

it's a lovely record, i thought it was less playful and more focused than united.

i think bangalter and someone from phoenix used to be flatmates or something (back when daft punk were a daft punk band). there's a track on homework named after phoenix, called, unsurprisingly, phoenix.

Yeah, I know I'm a total asshole but, just a few points...

They are definitely in with that whole Montmartre/Versailles crowd. Philippe Zdar from Cassius produced United. It's fab. I personally love Party Time, but hate Funky Squaredance, I think that's the most incongruous song on the first album.

Thomas Bangalter actually played keyboard on Embuscade, the instrumental track which On Fire segues into. (Yep, now that I've used 'segues', I've confirmed by cunt status.)

All the whooping and cheering on Funky Squaredance is done by a shitload of all of their Daft Crew mates, by the way, and they quote it as being by the Love Choir or something equally stupid. Look at the sleevenotes.


Alphabetical, for some reason, doesn't have any Daft links at all, Zdar's gone, no Bango or anyone else, but hey, it sounds awesome to me. It's going to be one of THE records of the summer. Fucking brill. I did actually comment on it loads here a while back, but nobody bothered replying.

Also, the track Phoenix from Homework isn't named after the band at all. They hadn't even formed by that point. However, two of them used to be in the same band as Thomas and Guy-Man, when they were called Darlin', and they released one record ever on Stereolab's label, but try as I might, I've never even had a sniff of it. Just in case anybody has it knocking about, it's called Cindy.

only_sleeping

Quote from: "The Boston Crab"Also, the track Phoenix from Homework isn't named after the band at all. They hadn't even formed by that point. However, two of them used to be in the same band as Thomas and Guy-Man, when they were called Darlin', and they released one record ever on Stereolab's label, but try as I might, I've never even had a sniff of it. Just in case anybody has it knocking about, it's called Cindy.

i've been to allmusic.com and you're right.

QuoteThe French band Phoenix draws elements from an eclectic '80s upbringing to arrive at their rock-synth sound. Thomas Mars (vocals), Deck D'Arcy (bass), and Christian Mazzalai (guitars) were a garage band based out of Mars' house in the suburbs of Paris. Mazzalai's older brother Branco joined the band on guitar when his band Darlin' disbanded in 1995. The group got their touring start on the French bar circuit doing Hank Williams and Prince covers to drunk audiences. Two years later the band took on the name Phoenix and pressed 500 copies of a single on their own label, Ghettoblaster. The A-side was a punk rock song and the other a chugging Krautrocker, hinting at their eclectic tastes. Shortly after, they were signed to the Paris-based Source records. Phoenix became well aquainted with labelmates Air when they acted as their backing band on several U.K. TV appearances. The result of the electronic exposure was a single called "Heatwave," which was very similar to an old '70s disco tune. United, the group's debut album, appeared in 2000 on Astralwerks and was recorded over two months. The album has guest appearances from friends and family, including Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk), Phillipe Zdar (Cassius), and D'Arcy's mother's choral society on the track "Funky Squaredance."

so that means they were phoenix in 1997, and homework came out in 1996. all well...