Phoenix, 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix'

Release date: May 26, 2009
Record label: Glassnote/Loyaute
Official Web site: http://www.wearephoenix.com/

The buzz: These French indie rockers have been underground favorites for nearly a decade, but mainstream U.S. success has eluded them, despite an increasingly poppy, straightforward sound. Thanks to a new relationship with Glassnote Records, a boutique label run by savvy industry veteran Daniel Glass, their Stateside moment may have finally arrived; already in 2009, they’ve played “Saturday Night Live” and gotten a rave write-up in Rolling Stone.

The verdict: Phoenix do two things very well: breezy, soul-tinged Euro-tronica (think Air and Röyksopp) and bouncy guitar-pop with just enough bite to keep the sugary touches from taking over (think Franz Ferdinand at their sunniest). Both sides of the band are on full display on “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix,” which comes out with catchy guitars blazing on “Lisztomania” and “1901” before strutting off to the disco on the cheesy but irresistible “Fences.” It’s one of the best album-opening hat tricks of the year, but after that, “Wolfgang” quickly bogs down, serving up too many would-be anthems and not enough memorable melodies. The album’s centerpiece is also its biggest miscue: a meandering, seven-minute snoozer (“Love Like a Sunset”) that proves Phoenix should stick to three-minute pop songs.

Did you know? “Lisztomania” is named after 19th century Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, whom Phoenix singer/lyricist Thomas Mars describes as “the rock star of his day.”

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