Back to School RW: Long Distance Call (25 Hours A Day Remix)

I’m gonna be real brief here today. Still getting situated up at school, but wanted to make sure that I got this up.

Phoenix is getting some much deserved attention for their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, but it’s high time that their other albums get the same treatment. A personal favorite of mine off of It’s Never Been Like That is a song called “Long Distance Call.”

Now the original is a little slow, and…well…slow.

I’ve found a remix that fixes that!

Phoenix – Long Distance Call (25 Hours A Day Remix)

I hope your ears buy their books and pay their tuition on time. Ω

Review of “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”

Could anyone plausibly dislike this record? One might whine that France’s Phoenix is coasting on a wave of 80′s revivalism or that the production is too glossy, but these objections buckle within the first listen of the joyfully dynamic Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

This is a maddeningly likeable record, as evidenced by the endless acclaim of buyers and critics alike. From “Lisztomania,” maybe the most immediate opener since Boxer’s “Fake Empire,” through the two-part climb of “Love Like A Sunset,” Side A is surprisingly diverse. Each song glows in neon, painted in a 1980s sound palette (think tense, muted guitars and expensive synths). Thomas Mars’ lovely melodies are double-tracked and the rhythms are always danceable. Subtle, but effective parameters.

The cocky title, the singer’s romance with Sofia Coppola, the name checks of Grizzly Bear and Steve Reich – all are hallmarks of an outfit that wears its affluent intellectuality on its sleeve. But, honestly, it’s not as contrived as it sounds. The most classical quality of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is its expert use of dynamics, its obsession with tension and release (“1901” and “Rome,” especially). It’s perfect pop, dressed up and having fun with a classical motif, an ambition at which Coldplay continues to fail.

Phoenix was always the least arresting of their Versailles brethren (fellow synth abusers Daft Punk and Air), but after 10 years, the quartet has outshined them all, producing the most complex and realized work of their careers. Who’s sparkling now?

Phoenix – 1901

RW: Lisztomania

What gives? Posting the remix on a saturday night? Well, some people around here have been working hard on IHYEB’s much deserved new theme.

Someone around here has been hard at work on a new site theme.

Well I was recently re-introduced to French rock/pop band Phoenix through their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. I adore this album, and quite frankly I would love to spend an afternoon writing the textual equivalent of a big fat kiss to that album. The first track on the album, Lisztomania, always sweeps me off my feet. Browsing the old iTunes store led me to some remixes, and I just fell into remix heaven.

The number 1 selling remix on iTunes is the “Lisztomania (Classixx Version)”.

Phoenix – Lisztomania (Classixx Version)

I’m not sure I’d say I like it better than the original…

Phoenix – Lisztomania (Original Album Version)

… but the Classixx version has  some pretty good things going for it. I found another amusing version of the irresistible tune on the blogosphere, This one has some nice bass, but I’m not blow away by any measure.

Phoenix – Lisztomania (A Fight for Love / 25hrs A Day Remix)

Maybe I’m picky, but I’m going to stick with the original for now.

I hope your ears like french rock bands. Ω