Phoenix

As always we have ALL of their songs for you to download FREE.

Band Members: Thomas Mars (on vocals), Deck D'Arcy (on bass), Laurent Brancowitz -aka "Branco" (on guitar), Christian Mazzali (also on guitar).


Who they are: Back in the late-90's, Laurent Brancowitz took his first stab at a band called Darlin', but it quickly dismembered and so he permanently joined what is today known as Phoenix (the other 2 guys went on and founded Daft Punk). Their first "gig" was as a backing band for a remix song "Kelly Watch the Stars" for Air (another French band). Shortly after, they put together their own debut album, United.

They have been called "art-rockers" and "noir pop", but once again are a bit difficult to describe with words (interpretive dance may help... or you could just listen to a few of their songs). Their style is not dissimilar to those of pop-songs with their simple lyrics and repetitive choruses. But their music style is something else - a smooth combination of funk, rock, pop, and electro.

They have toured all around the world, have been on numerous T.V. programs and have been part of multiple soundtracks (including Lost in Translation and the show Six Feet Under)


Why we love them:

Listening to Phoenix, puts you in a state of up-beat relaxation. Their songs make you almost want to dance and you think to yourself "well, if everyone is going to, I will too". The frontman, Thomas Mars with his soothing, yet slightly high-pitched voice is backed up by the mid-paced beats of the rest of the band. And although they are French, Phoenix's songs are usually in English (which is always helpful when you don't understand anything else in French besides "bonjour" and "au revoir").

Phoenix has been around for a long time now, and though their style has floated from the more guitar-based to more electro-based and back, their "coolness" has stayed with them throughout all these years.


Notable albums:

• United (2000) - their debut album with which they solidly defined their style. Track 2 of this album "Too Young" has been featured in Lost in Translation and Shallow Hal (not sure if the latter helps or hurts their image).
• It's Never Been Like That (2006) - reached #13 in Pitchfork's (magazine) top 50 albums of 2006.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009) - Latest album!

Label: they've had a few in their time, but their current are V2 Records and Layoute.


Our Recommendation: If you have never listened to Phoenix before, we recommend one of their older songs "Too Young", one of their newest songs "1901", "Long Distance Call" and "Armistice". Download them ALL here. Enjoy! :]