French indie rockers Phoenix became one of the most influential modern bands when they released their breakthrough album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix in 2009. It was simultaneously catchy and ambitious, as showcased by songs such as “1901” and the instrumental “Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 1.” That record catapulted Phoenix to stages at America’s biggest festivals like Bonnaroo, Coachella and Austin City Limits, not to mention those abroad at Reading and Leeds Festivals and more.
Yet, the band technically formed about 10 years prior to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix when Thomas Mars, Deck d’Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz began jamming in Mars’s garage on the outskirts of Paris. As a result, Phoenix has retained a sense of garage rock grime in addition to their recent electronica leanings on 2013’s Bankrupt! and Daft Punk-esque funktronica.
Last week, Phoenix released their sixth studio album, Ti Amo, a synth-pop masterpiece with Italian disco influences. So, tracing the band’s history from United to now, here are the nine best songs by Phoenix.
9. “Funky Squaredance”
This nearly-10-minute track from Phoenix’s debut album, United, is one of the most eclectic tunes the band has released. The first third of the track combines seemingly disparate elements including auto-tune, country-inspired slide guitar and bluesy keys. But then, the song transitions into its funky section, replete with a vocoder, some slap-bass and even an organ. It concludes with distorted guitar-led stadium rock. It might sound strange on paper, but it’s one of the best songs Phoenix has written.
8. “Bankrupt!”
The way Phoenix plays with dynamics and mood in the titular track from their fifth studio album is astounding. The song introduces the listener with a glockenspiel and acoustic guitar, and then a flute enters, playing an unpredictable melody. The feeling of tranquility suddenly cuts out when an aggressive synthesizer replaces it, making “Bankrupt!” one of the band’s more ambitious works.
7. “Everything Is Everything”
The opener for Phoenix’s second full-length, Alphabetical, exemplifies how the band mixes syncopation and texture. In particular, the auxiliary percussion and palm-muted guitars, while subtle, adds a layer to the mix that is essential to the overall groove. Paired with a catchy chorus, the band had itself a strong lead single in the U.K., E.U. and Japan in 2004.
6. “Fleur de Lys”
The seventh track from the French group’s latest album, Ti Amo, modernizes the classic sound of Phoenix with layers of synthesizers that are both danceable and complex. While Phoenix have definitely kept up with the times in terms of instrumentation and production, beneath all the shimmery synthesizers is the groove-oriented root that hearkens back to United and Alphabetical. “Fleur de Lys” is a well-balanced combination of the various sounds of Phoenix.