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...

By Michael Roberts

June 25, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

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.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

Follow:

Facebook: 111180895657427

Twitter: @mikerobertscolo