Fact #176400

Nurtured in the same Versailles district as Daft Punk and Air, Phoenix are at first listen more conventional than either of those. Pay closer attention though, and you’ll find the music is shot through with subtle innovations which suggest Phoenix might well outlast their neighbours. Their songs are danceable, almost poppy, but also thought-provoking; the instrumental Love Like A Sunset Part 1 is a slowly unfurling electronic crescendo that stands perfectly well on its own but also sets the scene for the melancholy pop rumination of Part 2. Exhilarating stuff.
Johnny Black (review first appeared in Hi Fi News, 2009)