Slang Editorial :: Never Underestimate The Value Of A Holla'

Thursday, March 26, 2009
¡¡¡LISZTOFUCKINGMANIA!!!

or The Skies Are Stormy And Phoenix is Rising

As many of you have surely heard, French pop band Phoenix have new tunes on the horizon--their new album drops in May, and last month they debuted a website where you could download the album's second track, "1901".

Of course, I guess somewhat unfortunately for them--though I think you could spin it both ways--the record, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, has already leaked across the internets, and people such as myself are losing their shit over it's general awesomeness.

My feelings on their output over the years have been a little up and down--the pop 00s disco of Alphabetical runs a little too clean for my tastes--but overall Phoenix is a band that I have loved to the core since the very moment I watched "Too Young" break the silence of Lost In Translation's japanoicegloom mood (experienced during my first illicit pseudodate I took the Ice Princess on way back in 2003###). "Too Young" captured an urgency of lifeaction that I desperately craved (but couldn't own) back then, and I can remember the precise adjustment of my mouth, lips and eyes upon hearing it.

And it has continued to resonate in my head and heart through the film's fantastically moody and well-paced Kevin Shields-curated soundtrack. I have a listened to that record so many times and yet each time "Too Young" arrives, I am hit with the wonderfully inexplicable sensation of being both very ready and yet completely-unprepared for it's lifeburst impact.

All of which is a nice way of leading up to me saying that, YES, I was psyched upon hearing news of a new Phoenix record... but more importantly, I am fucking BOWLED OVER to tell you that it is a REALLY great record that feels, to me, like "an entire album of 'Too Young'".

... Though truthfully, perhaps these sentiments of the album as a whole are colored in large part by the magical one-two punch of the albums first two tracks, "Lisztomania" and "1901", which are heart-stopping pop nuggets that reaffirm every possible reason people might believe that music can save lives****. In particular, it is the first track, "Lisztomania," that really blows me away: it's so good and amazing that I CAN'T just play it on repeat like regular catchy bubblegum. Yes I have played it often and repeatedly, but not just back-to-back; truly inspirational pop music like this needs room to breathe and grow to foment the revolution that it has planted in your mind. If this track isn't huge it will be a shame, but I don't really care either way. I just implore you to get it and love it and leave it at that.

Last among Phoenix news is perhaps the biggest bit, that they will be playing a Seth Rogen-hosted SNL next week, despite having, as I said earlier, no recent radio play and a record that doesn't come out for two months. Who knows why or how this has happened--and I am not dwelling too deeply, since, basically, SNL sucks--but it's pretty awesome, and is hopefully a springboard to bigger and better things for these bros. And, of no coincidence, they will be playing "Lisztomania" and "1901", so you should make sure to check it out.

For now, here's these, both from forthcoming Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album:

Phoenix - "Lisztomania"

Phoenix - "1901"

Phoenix - "Too Young", from United / Lost In Translation OST

NOTES:

###- Wow, 2003 feels like a long time ago now.

****- It can't.

Labels: loved sounds, mp3, music, VICTORY

posted by Nihilist Loves Hate, Hates Everything at 3/26/2009 10:23:00 AM 0 comments

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