Untouched/Absolute: Phoenix- 1901

Phoenix- 1901 (Link 2)

Phoenix- 1901 (Immuzikation Remix) (Link 2)

Phoenix- 1901 (Mr. Vega Remix) (Link 2)

For a new find (in the UK at least), Phoenix are doing a pretty good job of being featured everywhere. I stumbled across them a few weeks ago, prepared my post  and then realised I had been roundly beaten to the finish line by just about every other music blog in existence. Phoenix had already arrived, welcomed into the net league with open arms. Why waste valuable net space with a practically identical post… no, I decided to wait out the storm and see what was left when the dust settled. And here we are.

I’ve put them under this ‘untouched’ category out of principle rather than reality- Phoenix are anything but ‘new’, but I had no idea of their existence, and they are currently receiving far more media attention than ever before- this is a new era for them (if you like), with an updated sound and website. The French four piece have been around since 1999, and are fairly popular in France, having released 4 highly rated albums. They haven’t released anything nearly as universal as ‘1901′, and I am sorry to say I don’t think they will ever again.

‘1901′ is, at heart, a bouncy piece of pop music. Phoenix simply do things differently, and their perfectly co-ordinated synths and guitar jabs disguise what is a very simple melody. Universally accessible, the song has found its way into/onto most people’s inboxes and blogs, and the band are doing very well out of the single. As the first single, ‘1901′ was given away free on their official website in late February. ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’, their fifth album, is out on May 25th.

BONUS: Two remixes included. Immuzikation sticks with the softer tones of the song, whilst Mr. Vega goes all out with a brave synth line.

[Myspace]