Albums to watch

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Phoenix

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Synthpop and electro-rock from the French outfit

ADM rating[?]

7.4

Label
V2
UK Release date
26/05/2009
  1. 9.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Let this record be a high watermark album of the decade. Let it be a pull-yer-socks-up communiqué to all those New Yorkers stealing our European heroes unworn crowns. If this doesn't ensnare the doubters, I don't know what will
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  2. 8.5 |   Pitchfork

    They're pleasure-pushers, filling tunes with riffs, phrases, and beats a five-year-old could love.
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  3. 8.0 |   NME

    Phoenix are what architects should dance to. Sleek minimalism. Clean lines. A propensity to wear white.
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  4. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    If you listen to only one song this year about the inner turmoil of 19th-century classical composer Franz Liszt, make it Phoenix's ""Lisztomania.
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  5. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Zooms out of the speakers with a confidence that belies their lack of status, opening with a hat-trick of perfect summer sundaes
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  6. 8.0 |   The List

    Phoenix could well be one of your most thrilling musical discoveries this summer – yes, that good, really.
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  7. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Many of the 10 tracks here (the album zips by in just over half an hour) recall the pop perfection of their debut, Untitled, all slinky basslines, furious rhythmic guitar, warm keyboard washes and Mars' laidback croon.
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  8. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    It’s unlikely you’re going to find an album of equal effortless pop fun this year. Welcome back, Phoenix; we’ve been waiting for you.
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  9. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    These four French students of Daft Punk dancetronica manage to keep the album lean and, most importantly, interesting until the very end...Phoenix have their dance floor sights set on the garage rock sound of the Strokes, which incidentally meshes perfectly with the band’s synth-soaked neon style
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  10. 7.0 |   The Quietus

    An improvement upon its predecessor and it's likely to send the Gallic quartet hurtling towards the mainstream's affections after years of operating on its peripheries. It's a move the lean men of Phoenix may well be looking forward to, but with it comes the sobering realisation that their mischievous joie de vivre now appears to be lost for good
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  11. 7.0 |   Spin

    These arch Frenchmen make precision-tooled pop that somehow retains a sense of urgency and playfulness
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  12. 7.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    This is music that will appeal to anyone looking for a 21st-century Supertramp or Hall & Oates
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  13. 6.0 |   The Observer

    There's no doubt they've hit the jackpot with the first three tracks… the rest of the album can only offer weak imitations.
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  14. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    When the songwriting quality slips, it's hard to avoid the feeling that there's something a bit clenched and po-faced about the band's pursuit of shiny-surfaced pop perfection.
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  15. 6.0 |   Observer Music Monthly

    This is sexier than it should be by rights...
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Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Lisztomania £0.99
  • 2. 1901 £0.99
  • 3. Fences £0.99
  • 4. Love Like A Sunset Part I £0.99
  • 5. Love Like A Sunset Part II £0.99
  • 6. Lasso £0.99
  • 7. Rome £0.99
  • 8. Countdown £0.99
  • 9. Girlfriend £0.99
  • 10. Armistice £0.99
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