Friday, May 22, 2009

Pop Album of the Year?

I've always been a sucker for a good hook, and I've always had a healthy respect for Euro-pop, even if I've never made it a steady diet. So it was probably inevitable that I'd like Wolfgang Amadeus, the new album by the French band Phoenix.

As noted below, this was a purchase by son #2, and I freely confess that I'd never heard of the band until he started talking about them two days ago. But they've been around for a while, and their music demonstrates a confidence that should turn this into a hit, however that is defined in this day and age. I've only given it a handful of listens, but I like it better than anything I've ever heard from Franz Ferdinand, and it sunk in a lot quicker than Vampire Weekend, just to name two bands that Phoenix remind me of.

The key with "hooky albums" is always whether the hooks will retain their power over time. You just never know; sometimes a song that sounds terrific for the first few dozen times becomes incredibly annoying after six months. But right now it feels like these songs have enough sophistication and variety to maintain their appeal - Check back in later, and we'll see for sure.

Favorite song, so far:

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