New Music

So it's a bit worthless at times to claim you've found new music when a big giant music site tells you it's good, but it's still up to us to go find that music and decide if we agree or not.

Phoenix is a band that I'm both surprised and delighted to hear. As I've become more and more intrigued by all different sorts of rock music, I start hearing a lot of names getting thrown around...you know, these instances:

Person I'm Talking To: Yeah, so, I was really digging (insert band/artist here). You know them right?

Me: (Repeat band/artist name slowly and thoughtfully and pause) Definitely heard OF them, but I'm not a big fan or anything.

My point is, that by this time in my endless geekdom and search for new and interesting things to listen to, I would've thought I'd come across a band that fits so well into my criteria of what makes good music. Phoenix's newest release, currently blaring over my speakers, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, is a great blend of the things I like most about, for lack of a better way to say it, very P4k-ish indie bands. They're at first thought a bit experimental, beore you realize that whoever is spinning those knobs and pressing those pedals is just trying to make another good pop/rock song. There are textbook crescendos, great hooks, and arranging that is crafty as a opposed to scatter-brained and confusing on purpose. Reminds of the first time I heard Silent Alarm and began to understand that even though all the feedback loops and distortion commanded my ears on first listen, Bloc Party wasn't looking to do anything all that different than find a new groove.

Phoenix, above all else, maintains that ever-essential that hooks me into a band/track even though they're indie and French.

Enjoy my new uploading skills.

1901-Phoenix (from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)