Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Realigned with Philippe Zdar, the half of Cassius who mixed United, Phoenix make adjustments on the polarizing characteristics of their second and third albums -- the pokey and occasionally listless Alphabetical, the jagged and tune-deficient It's Never Been Like That -- with some of the most direct and enjoyable songs they've made to date. The two opening songs, the bopping "Lisztomania" and the buzzing "1901," are so immediate and prone to habitual play that the remainder of the album is bound to be neglected. There is plenty to like beyond that point, including "Lasso," which niftily alternates between a tangled rhythm and tight-spiral riffing, and the labyrinthine "Pt. 1" of "Love Like a Sunset," which serves the same purpose as the extended instrumental passages on Roxy Music's Avalon, at least until its rousing conclusion and shift into "Pt. 2." Beyond containing the band's best, most efficient songwriting, the album also stands apart from the first three studio albums by projecting a cool punch that is unforced. Vocalist Thomas Mars, more bright-eyed and youthful than ever, also sounds more a part of these songs, rather than coming across as a protruding element that clashes against the instruments. Maybe they've just hit their stride. ~ Andy Kellman

ベルサイユ出身の4人組、フェニックスの3年ぶりとなる新作はカシアスのフィリップ・ズダールが共同プロデュースを担当。ということで、当然ながらエレクトロニカな美的感覚に長けているのだが、同時にロック・バンドとしての閃きも随所に感じさせる、ロマンティックでメランコリックな作品となっている。即効性やルーツを求める人にとっては猫パンチのように捉えどころのないサウンドかもしれないけど、車窓から景色を楽しむかのように身を任せれば、心地良いアトモスフィアにたっぷり浸れるはず。その点では、バンドと何かと縁深く、トーマス・マーズ（ヴォーカル）との間に女児も誕生したソフィア・コッポラの映画と同じ系譜と言えなくもないような……。要は感性で聴けってことでしょう。
bounce (C)村上ひさし