On the heels of a Saturday Night Live performance and in the lead up to a headlining Saturday stint at Coachella... Parisian mainstays, Phoenix dusted off the cobwebs and took to the Marquee theatre in Tempe.
New single Entertainment served as the kickoff to the eve and they didn't let up til they had to close it down due to curfew. Bankrupt! marks their return to the spotlight - and following the career defining success of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - it's as direct and hot as the sun.
Touching on material primarily from It's Never Been Like That and Wolfgang, Thomas Mars kept things fresh by changing up lyrical phrasing and octaves...creating nuance to their very familiar material. But what we really wanted were the new tunes. I managed a sneak listen of the album - so I had a decent idea of a few tracks I was anxious to hear live and without a doubt, they land so tight and polished that you'd think they've been touring this material for a few months now.
S.O.S. In Bel Air is crunched and styled with banging synth and guitar lines; Trying To Be Cool lilts along with an almost Talking Heads like approach and Bankrupt! serves as a mid-way resting point (literally, Thomas still does that lay on the stage thing) in the vein of Love Like A Sunset.
The new songs fit so well into their already impressive catalogue that it's hard to imagine their stranglehold on festivals, album charts and as ambassadors for the 'we are crossovers that make music on our own terms' title will let up.
Plain and simple these guys are pro and while I imagine there might be a few naysayers for their new album - I think it's a welcome addition to their arsenal and hones in on their musical chops, production skills and knack for creating catchy jamz that evolve record to record.
Bankrupt! drops April 23rd via Glassnote Records
Enjoy a stripped down version of Entertainment.
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