Cougar Microbes

Seemingly not content by the French near total domination of the global dance scene, Phoenix came along to show us how indie rock is to be done properly.

Fans of the band’s previous efforts will have been eagerly awaiting a new release since 2006′s highly enjoyable ‘It’s Never Been Like That‘ but few could have predicted how accomplished Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix sounds.

Opening double whammy ‘Listzomania’ and ‘1901‘ became instant classics and having them back to back at the front of the album represents a true statement of intent. Though these two tracks are majestic and worthy of attention the tracklisting that follows demonstrates that Phoenix are far from a one trick pony..

‘Wolfgang Amadeus…‘ offer up plenty when it comes to variety including the positively sexy ‘Fences‘, driving album closer ‘Armistice‘ and the truly inspired ‘Love Like A Sunset Part 1′. This last track’s reminiscent of Air‘s atmospheric edgy genius at its best.

Possibly the stand out moment on the album is ‘Lasso‘ with its subtle structure changes and emotive guitar dynamics. This track makes for a suitable bedfellow to consummate a melodic menage-a-trois with the the opening doubly whammy .

Up until not so long ago Phoenix represented a hidden secret that only a few were in on. ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix‘ will ensure the world can no longer ignore them.

TRACKS:

Phoenix – Lasso

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Jonah Matranga never takes a break. If you look at his record from as far back as 1993 (be it with Far, as Onelinedrawing or under his own name) he has brought out a release of some sort almost every year. 

In 2001 hungered for a rock band setup again he recruited members from some of American indie rock’s brightest talents (Shelter, Texas Is The Reason, Chamberlain). After their first rehearsal they had a name, New End Original, and before they had even played a live show they had a record deal with Jade Tree. 

Naming the release ‘Thriller’, just like Michael Jackson‘s 80s pop benchmark, was an interesting decision but fortunately the album guarantees that that is not the sole talking point.

Given a new foundation Jonah is able to build and flesh out on the ideas shown in his solo ventures. Having a full live backup does not subtract from the intimacy in his songwriting and the band routinely favours introducing just vocals and gentle strum before growing into full blown sing-alongs. 

That is not to say they are adverse to some handpicked high tempo stormers to their mix In contrast with the slow building tracks which are brooding and reflective it is on these faster numbers that the band convey most hopefulness.

Sadly this was to be the only release they would bring out and following 2 years of touring the band split returning to their individual projects. Considering the lighting pace it took to form the band and record their album it is not surprising that they broke up so early. 

The songs i have selected are a good taster to the bands diverse sounds, energy and ability. If you were fortunate enough to catch them live in that brief stint you will know that on stage New End Original were an electrifying band. 

Fortunately ‘Thriller‘ will remain as a testament to that. Listen here. 

Back in the early 00s, long before Last.fm, Pandora and Hype Machine came along, there was an ace little website called Music Buddha. You initially picked one of 7 genres which then allowed you to surf various subgenres. When selecting the subgenre you were interested in you were offered a selection of artists. You could then listen to a few sound clips, rate the music from “completely my style” to “not my style” and then when clicking on ENLIGHTEN ME you were offered tailor made suggestions, amazing! The beauty of www.mubu.com was that it relied heavily on Independent bands and not just those on the majors. A large proportion of my “discoveries” around that time came directly from what i considered the most valuable recommendation service online.

One such discovery was a little treat of an EP titled ‘Death Of The Alphabet‘ by a band called Schatzi who specialised in delightful Weezer-esque alt-rock. With big guitars, honey melodies, sardonic lyrics and more hooks than a junior school cloak room it ticked all the right boxes. The title track became one of those “songs of the summer” and i had to buy the CD and this selection of tracks showed a very confident band having a blast. Allmusic.com even went as far as saying “With its tight, appealing songwriting and surprisingly eclectic sound, Death of the Alphabet suggests that Schatzi has a lot more to offer“

I was using Music Buddha religiously (pun intended) until leaving for my summer holiday, When I got back a few weeks later the website had disappeared. Apparently the company ran out of finances just a few years before Apple would revolutionise how we listen and buy our music.

As for Schatzi? Their website has not been updated since 2004 though their MySpace strangely proclaims they will be back very soon. Though they seemingly managed to tour with every up-and-coming band in The States and recieved positive reviews all round they only ever released one other album (which reprised many of the best songs from their EP) and just didn’t manage to raise their status to the next level. Tracks like ‘Death Of The Alphabet‘ (featuring the lovely voice of Adrianne Verhoeven from The Anniversary) and ‘The Spider Smells Disaster‘ will guarantee they are gone but not forgotten.

Whenever I visit New York I try to check the music section at the Housing Works Bookstore. They always have a great biography or provocative tale of rock excess I can pick up in this second hand store for a bargain, their motto: “fighting AIDS one book at a time” which is pretty noble if you ask me. All proceeds go to charity and the staff are mostly volunteers so it would be unforgivable not to contribute even a little.

On a snowy February afternoon we stumbled in there mostly to protect ourselves from the chilly wind and warm up with a wonderfully clichéd large NYC latte. The place was set up for a book reading and a small crowd had already gathered. Having bought our coffee we sat down trying to decipher what people were waiting for.

It turned out that a few contributing authors were presenting the Da Capo Best Music Writing for 2006 book in a few minutes. Though at the time i was unfamiliar with the series I’ve since had the pleasure of reading 3 editions and can say they all collect sensational music essay covering various genres (from Metallica to R. Kelly through Bob Dylan). The one constant throughout is the high level of writing and the fresh take the authors have on the music they love.

We were fortunate to hear Nick Weidenfield narrate from his piece “Dying In The Al Gore Suite“. He claimed that he was the first journalist given complete freedom to talk with David Berman, leader of the Silver Jews. The result was the story of the troubled frontman’s battle with alcohol and substances which culminates in a spectacular suicide attempt in the same hotel suite Al Gore sat in for 2 weeks whilst waiting to find out that he had lost the election. Ultimately Berman‘s wife plays a huge part in the fact that he was even alive to be interviewed by Weidenfield.

It takes some a degree of bravery to put yourself in the spotlight again when everybody knows the exact nature of your troubles but pulled back from the brink Berman threw himself into writing and recording the album that would become the Silver Jews 5th studio album. ‘Tanglewood Numbers‘ acts as a logbook of emotions and realisations as tracks like ‘Punks In The Beerlight’ set a downbeat tone but are presented with charm and verve.

Elsewhere there is a real playful element to some of the songs like ‘How Can I Love You If Won’t Lie Down’displaying optimism akin to a man who has lost it all and then found it all again Berman is a happier person now and the Silver Jews are a stronger band for it.