Also, hooray for digital shorts…

I love Phoenix. Once hastily dubbed “the French Strokes”, they’re so much more than that silly comparison. And that’s at least evident in their ability to produce consistently good music that’s consistently themselves without being tempted to teeter over the edge of some hideous experiment in self-reinvention (First Impressions Of Earth, thank you very much). They’re efficient and interesting. They’re smart and pedestrian. They’re cheeky and genuine. They’re Frenchy Europeans making spot-on English rock music. And they do it all so tastefully: the catchy drumline cadence of the vocal delivery, the machine precision anomalies in the driving drums, the restraint and ease with which the guitar compiles lead and rhythm lines into one, the freshness of the cheesy keyboards, the complete and utter reliability of the bass. Recorded with and co-produced by Cassius’ Phillipe Zdar, their new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, delivers another solid batch of the goods while advancing their craft with a little more experimentation.

The first two tracks are my favorites so far. Opener “Lisztomania” has the most ridiculous title/theme you could conceive. But without being completely obtuse, they manage to turn the nod to the classical composer into a statement of purpose: “Think less but see it grow…Not easily offended…From the mess to the masses.” And single “1901″ is a serious banger. They’re really letting the keyboardist loose on this album to explore all sorts of synth textures. And if you visit their website you can download the individual stems for this one to do your own remix.

Below are mp3s of those first two songs with three more favorites from their previous effort, It’s Never Been Like That. But there are plenty of other gems to fill these out. If you trust me at all, you should just go buy the albums.

Phoenix – Lisztomania
Phoenix – 1901
Phoenix – Consolation Prizes
Phoenix – Long Distance Call
Phoenix – Sometimes In The Fall

(P.S. I love the engineering on their albums, by the way. It may make traditionalists cringe at the compression that goes into mixing their instruments. But pick up the album and listen to the way the cymbals breathe in perfect time throughout. Also, I think every instrument has a slap-back delay or echo on it. On their previous album, this is especially clear on the drums. But it’s also used to great effect on the guitars. Instead of doubling guitars to get the depth and texture and space, there’s just one guitar slapping across the stereo field. Again, nothing totally revolutionary. It’s just part of their aesthetic and discipline…think less but see it grow.)

(P.P.S. Gossip report…The lead singer has a kid with Sofia Coppola. What a family.)