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Phoenix - United
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Genre : Indie
Rip Date : Dec-03-2004
Street Date : Sep-19-2000
Encoder : LAME --aps
Quality : VBRkbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-Stereo
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On their debut album for
Astralwerks/Source, Phoenix applies a
slick electronica aesthetic to
traditional pop/rock songwriting,
resulting in a quite adventurous album
capable of re-organizing perceptions
about 1980s-style verse-chorus-verse
guitar pop. Of course, the fact that the
group members come from France gives them
the necessary perspective on commercial
American pop/rock from the past. With
this perspective, they bring fresh life
to something that grew stale fast,
primarily with their textural approach to
songwriting. For instance, the catchy
vocal hook from "Too Young" seems far too
melodic for its own good, mostly from the
pristine production that brings an
uncanny gleam to Thomas Mars' already
warm voice. Furthermore, one can pick
pretty much any instrument in any given
song and appreciate the way the sounds
come alive in ways that few pop/rock
songs are capable of: the percussion
gently rattles far too crisply, the bass
guitar sounds more like a house bass line
than an actual guitar riff, and the
subtle guitar sounds seem just too little
like the oft-stale sounds that have been
associated with guitars over the years.
In sum, the album sounds great, but the
allure goes deeper than just production.
The band understands how to write catchy
songs that manage to retain an innocent
aura of simplicity and accessibility
without coming off contrived. To just
think of United as an album of slick
pop/rock postmodernism would be
cheapening; think of the album as an
uncanny yet earnest showcase of what
makes pop/rock pop without the gaudy
trendiness that now makes the 1980s seem
so distasteful.
01.school's rules [01:32]
02.too young [03:20]
03.honeymoon [05:01]
04.if i ever feel better [04:27]
05.party time [02:14]
06.on fire [02:49]
07.embuscade [03:57]
08.summer days [03:16]
09.funky squaredance [09:39]
10.definitive breaks [01:44]
11.too young (zoot woman remix) [03:53]
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41:52 min
41:52 min
58,9 MB