Aidan Curran posted on July 20, 2008 19:00
Back in the summer of 2006, when this blog was still an old-fashioned monthly column, we predicted world domination for Versailles band Phoenix (below right). They had just released their splendid third album, "It's Never Been Like That", and looked set to capitalise on the exposure they received from featuring on the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's "Lost In Translation".
And as singer Thomas Mars was going out with Coppola, there was a celebrity-gossip angle that was surely good for gaining mainstream attention.
Well, despite our enthusiasm and some glowing reviews in the UK and US music press, the album didn't break the charts. Still, Phoenix have built up a solid international fanbase from years of constant touring.
Time for some useful information:
Trivia (1): Phoenix formed to play as a session band for a remix of Air's "Kelly Watch The Stars".
Trivia (2): It was Mars, under the pseudonym of Gordon Tracks, who sang the vocals on Air's "Playground Love" from Coppola's screen adaptation of "The Virgin Suicides".
Trivia (3): Guitarist Laurent Brancowitz played with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christos in a band called Darlin'. On their 1992 UK tour the band were dismissed by Melody Maker as "a bunch of daft punk". Wonder what ever happened to the other two lads?
Phoenix are currently in New York recording their as-yet-untitled fourth album, due for release in November. Before that, we can get a taster of what the new album will sound like. The band have contributed a new track to a promotional campaign for jewellers Cartier.
"Twenty-One One Zero" is quite different to the classic indie-popness of their last album. Opening with a Kraftwerk-esque loop, the track brings in an Eno-style ambient synth treatment, some pounding drums and a squally guitar. It all builds to an arena-friendly burst of energy.
Sound familiar? Well, we reckon it shares a lot with U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name". Are Phoenix planning to go all stadium-rock and turn a few dollars Stateside? Let's hope "Twenty-One One Zero", while diverting in its way, is just work in progress and they have some killer tunes in the bag.
You can check out the full five minutes-plus of "Twenty-One One Zero" on the special Cartier MySpace. As a preview, here's the first three minutes - and they don't even get to the track's two lines of lyrics. Hmmm:
More ...
[Read More...]