Phoenix

Phoenix, appearing with Amazing Baby, is generating a buzz nearly a decade in the making. The electro-tinged French group, whose lineage has links to both Air and Daft Punk, released United, its diverting Astralwerks Records debut, back in 2000 — and the imprint issued two more impressive long-players, 2004's Alphabetical and 2006's It's Never Been Like That, prior to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, a new recording that's belatedly prompted the outfit's "discovery" by mainstream mags such as Entertainment Weekly. Why now? Not because lead singer Thomas Mars and Lost in Translation director Sofia Coppola make one of pop culture's cooler couples (they've been together for several years). And while Wolfgang's got some truly infectious offerings, including the alternately chugging and soaring "1901" and "Lasso," which could rope in just about anyone, the previous efforts did, too. Chalk up the current recognition to the zeitgeist, then, and be happy that the fortunes of a band as deserving as Phoenix are on the rise.