Sunday, May 25, 2014

wolfgang amadeus phoenix







Phoenix found their groove with the warm and winsome electro-pop of this riotous romantic ride.  The group started in Versailles, Île-de-France outside Paris with schoolmates Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, and Chris Mazzalai; to be later joined by Mazzalai's brother Laurent Brancowitz (who had briefly been in Darlin' with future Daft Punk duo Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo).  They dubbed their band Phoenix and got signed to Parisian Source Records.  The song 'Too Young' from their debut album 'United' was featured in two different films:   'Lost in Translation' (directed by Mars' future wife, Sofia Coppola) and 'Shallow Hal'.  Their next two albums 'Alphabetical' and 'It's Never Been Like That' saw an increasing profile that led to them playing shows all over the world.  The follow up'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix' was four years in the making.  Mars explained:   "We toured overseas. And for two years we were in the studio...What happened in the middle of the recording process was that suddenly we felt that with the internet and everything that it would be easier to present our music the way we wanted to. So that was the starting point of us putting the teasers on the website and coming back to the surface. And to me that's so important, because you lose touch with reality in the studio. So that moment was a very important for us...When you're a kid you think you're going to put out an album and overnight it's going to change the world. And it never happens. And with this record I think we were more mature, I think we forgot about that. But it happened! It's the only time we didn't have that ambition. We gave '1901' on our website for free and overnight something happened. People started downloading it and it became a world phenomenon. It was more spontaneous this time...The studio has always been something very painful for us. It's always only been like five minutes here and there, and really weak. It's a very hostile environment. But it's always been that way and it doesn't seem like we have very many options on how to write a song...The title was inspired by many things that we liked. There was a book called 'Mozart In The Jungle'... I like where it gave an input about how you crawl on the things that are history, but you can make it your own and do it in very pop way. Almost like you're Andy Warhol. I think it's something that comes from the fact that everything great was in the past. There are things that are great about Europe and there are things that are great about America and the thing I love the most about America is the fact that because there's not as much history, there's a lot more possibility. When we named our title I think it's that same idea that you take something very iconic from the past, but you want to make it your own. You're tired of history, you just want to take over the future."


 Recorded at Motorbass Studio in Montmartre, Paris with co-producer Philippe Zdar, 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix' featured Laurent Brancowitz on artwork and guitar; Deck d'Arcy on bass; Christian Mazzalai on guitar;  and Thomas Mars on vocals;   with Thomas Hedlund on drums and sampling; Cedric Plancy on flute and engineering; and Philippe Zdar on drums, engineering, and mixing.  The album became a major breakthrough for the band, going to number sixty-six in Austria, sixty-four in Ireland, fifty-four in the UK, thirty-nine in Norway, thirty-seven in the US, thirty-four in Sweden, twenty-three in Switzerland, twenty-two in Belgium, nineteen in Canada, eighteen in Germany, fourteen in France, and thirteen in Australia.  Certified gold in Australia, Canada, and the US; it also won the Grammy for  Best Alternative Music Album.  





http://www.wearephoenix.com/







'From A Mess to the Masses' 
documentary







Lisztomania 


So sentimental, not sentimental no

Romantic not disgusting yet
Darling, I'm down and lonely when with the fortunate only
I've been looking for something else
Do let, do let, do let, jugulate, do let, do let, do

Let's go slowly discouraged

Distant from other interests on your favorite weekend ending
This love's for gentlemen only that's with the fortunate only
No, I gotta be someone else
These days it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes and goes

Lisztomania

Think less but see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh
I'm not easily offended
It's not hard to let it go from a mess to the masses

Lisztomania

Think less but see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh
I'm not easily offended
It's not hard to let it go from a mess to the masses

Follow, misguide, stand still

Disgust, discourage on this precious weekend ending
This love's for gentlemen only, wealthiest gentlemen only
And now that you're lonely
Do let, do let, do let, jugulate, do let, do let, do

Let's go slowly discouraged, we'll burn the pictures instead

When it's all over we can barely discuss
For one minute only, not with the fortunate only
Thought it could have been something else
These days it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes and goes

Lisztomania

Think less but see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh
I'm not easily offended
It's not hard to let it go from a mess to the masses

Lisztomania

Think less but see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh
I'm not easily offended
It's not hard to let it go from a mess to the masses

This is show time, this is show time, this is show time

This is show time, this is show time, this is show time
Time, time is your love, time is your love, yes time is your
Time, time is your love, time is your love, yes time is your

From the mess to the masses


Lisztomania

Think less but see it grow like a ride, like a ride, oh
Discuss, discuss, discuss
Discuss, discuss, discouraged






1901


Counting all different ideas drifting away
Past and present, they don't matter now the future's sorted out
Watch her move in elliptical patterns
Think it's not what you say, what you say is way too complicated
For a minute, though, I couldn't tell how to fall out

It's twenty seconds 'til the last call
Calling hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Lie down, you know it's easy
Like we did it all the summer long

And I'll be anything you ask and more
Going hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
It's not a miracle we needed
No, I wouldn't let you think so

Folded, folded, folded, folded
Folded, folded, folded, folded

Girlfriend, oh, your girlfriend is drifting away
Past and present, 1855, 1901
Watch them build up a material tower
Think it's not gonna stay anyway, I think it's overrated
For a minute, though, I couldn't tell how to fall out

It's twenty seconds 'til the last call
Calling hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Lie down, you know it's easy
Like we did it all the summer long

And I'll be anything you ask and more
Going hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
It's not a miracle we needed
No, I wouldn't let you think so

Folded, folded, folded, folded
Folded, folded, folded, folded
Folded, folded, folded, folded
Folded, folded, folded, folded








'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix' 
full album:



01-Lisztomania (00:00)
02-1901 (04:01)
03-Fences (07:14)
04-Love Like A Sunset Part I (10:55)
05-Love Like A Sunset Part II (12:22)
06-Lasso(18:21)
07-Rome (21:09)
08-Countdown (25:47)
09-Girlfriend (29:41)
10-Armistice (33:05)




No comments:

Post a Comment