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This sort of cold purity is exactly what one would expect in an indie pop album constructed so meticulously. What this harbors is a safe album that can at times feel a bit sterile and unfeeling. As the songs begin to bleed together it’s plain to see there are no major missteps here, but conjointly there are also no real risks. Just the same, even in its best moments the meat of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix makes this a difficult album to love but an incredibly easy album to like. Phoenix craft an album that moves along just fine, even if it does fade a bit heading into the second half. Perhaps one of the best examples of this indie and dance dichotomy is "Fences" which bounces along in a silky groove, complete with handclaps, and yet has a purportedly “indie” chorus. This is clearly a very indie style of dance music, but also distinctly frisky. Now, obviously we’re not talking about dance-pop in the fashion of Madonna or Lady GaGa.
Phoenix wolfgang amadeus phoenix album full#
The fun of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is in full effect in this opening track and it sets a very appropriate stage for what is to be found on the remainder of the LP: playful dance pop. “Lisztomania” is also noteworthy for its acute danceability. A repetitive chorus of “fold it, fold it” hangs over punchy synth syncopations and at no moment is there a waning of energy. The widely popular “1901” is easily the most indelible song of the album. The groove is only matched in its ambition by the finale of the seven minute triumph in the arrival of acoustic guitar and a syrupy sweet vocal. Here the band is found bridging the gap between French club music and indie rock as part one of the song builds to an apex of processed sound where the beat colloquially “drops” at the halfway point. The most experimental track of the album, “Love Like A Sunset”, also happens to be arguably the best offering. Lead singer of french indie rock band Phoenix, Thomas Mars, admitted to using the cards “early and often” throughout the creative process of their 2009 critically acclaimed release Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and it comes as no surprise after listening to the succinct 37-minute long album that a playful card game was used along the way as the disc maintains both a calculated feel and a sportive tone. Coldplay have been rumored to have used these cards in the recording of their 2008 album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends which not coincidentally was produced by Brian Eno.
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Oblique Strategies are a set of flash cards created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt used to help artists think laterally when facing creative block.
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Review Summary: Lively and danceable, Phoenix's only misstep comes in valuing precision and method over heart and soul.