PHOENIX

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Phoenix (Pop): Thomas Mars (vocals); Laurent Brancowitz (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Christian Mazzalai (guitar, background vocals); Deck D'Arcy (keyboards, bass instrument, background vocals).

Recording information: Sound Factory, Hollywood, California.

Four years after its acclaimed 2000 debut, UNITED, the French pop group Phoenix returned with its eagerly anticipated follow-up, ALPHABETICAL. Whereas UNITED gleefully careened from guitar-based rock to bouncy dance tunes to country-tinged numbers, ALPHABETICAL creates a more thoughtful and consistent atmosphere that relies largely on pop-perfect melodies and steady, driving rhythms.

"Everything Is Everything" sets the mood with a staccato acoustic guitar line joined by tight bass playing and mid-tempo beats. The charismatic vocals and heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics of frontman Thomas Mars carry the tunes, particularly the synth-driven "(You Can't Blame It on) Anybody" and the groove-laden "Holdin' on Together." Although Phoenix heavily references 1970s radio-rock and '80s New Wave pop, the quartet blends these elements into its own sound with ease, and the result is an infectious album that gets better with each listen.

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