No, but really, a French rock band that rocks

So I had a request today from @juliananagan to play something from Bjork's new album, Volta. I also had a request for some Jont. I am denying both requests. However, I am only denying the Bjork request because I want to put together some really sweet tracks and some sweeter musings and, for that, I need time. I'm ignoring the Jont request because I don't know who the fuck that is.

So I didn't post last night. Whoops. It's not like I was too busy driving Going to the Sun Road for the first time in my life...what?! I also heard "Wonderwall" on my drive home and was too struck by the music, the Flathead River, and the extraordinarily, unnaturally bright moon lining the clouds with silver to sit on my couch and blog about much of anything. The sky was evenly divided--Storm clouds to the West of me, storm clouds to the East of me, and a sliver of bright, Montana night sky that seemed to honestly trace the river. Anyway.




I'm gonna go with some Phoenix today, which if we're friends, you've probably already heard. If you haven't heard these songs then probs we're not as close as you thought. Kidding! First though, I listened to the Wanting Comes in Waves today and had a funny conversation with myself about that song title:

Friend: Are you still in the mood for sushi?

Me: Meh. The wanting comes in waves.

he.he.

It reminded me of when I started substituting "obama" for "change."


ie) "I gotta run upstairs and obama my shirt before we leave. Give me a sec." Or, "I really should learn how to obama a tire before I drive Titties to Massachusetts for spring semester."

So. Phoenix. I first heard of this band on the soundtrack for Lost in Translation. They have a track called "Too Young" and I just got swept up with the exuberance of it. It sounded to me like something slightly cheesy, slightly synth-y, and totally irresistable. It sounded like what I imagined the ages of 20-27 feeling like. And I LOVED it. When I found out the band was French, I scoffed at the very notion. When I found out their lead singer used to play with the founding members of Daft Punk, it was love.

The next two tracks are off of the band's latest, most acclaimed album--Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. (Stupid) It's like, Phoenix and Grizzly Bear got hot at the same time and I'm that annoying indie kid going, "HA--I liked them fiiirst." (But it's true).

Phoenix is a really, really remixed band. And usually the remixes are pretty bomb. In the case of the Alex Metric mix of Listzomania, I think it's kind of a sonic shitshow. It's disjointed and out of rhythm and busy and chaotic. And none of these things in a cool, Kid A kind of way. Check out both versions anyway though because maybe I'm crazy on this one.

However, the DLID custom mix of 1901, in my opinion, is better than the original track. Let's play a game where you vote on which one you like better.

For me, customized 1901 draws on all the song's original strengths and then slows them down with this wicked beat I kind of want to eat because it's so damn delicious. The song takes on a different tone for me--it's less frivolous, more thoughtful. When he says I'll be anything you ask and more, I feel that, I feel the needling persuasion, the kind of voice-cracking sincerity.

It's just better slower, ok? Not that I have an opinion on this or anything.