{ken’s links}

An upcoming release that I am waiting for in anticipation is “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”. It’s due out May 25th, but has already gotten a lot of hype thanks in part to an album leak and their appearance on SNL last month. My prediction is that this will be one of the top indie albums of 2009. All it takes is a quick youtube search to hear why.

Brief history of Phoenix. Hailing from France, they have actually been around for quite some time, with four albums to their credit since their inception in 1999. Some interesting tidbits: Band members from an early incarnation of the group would go on to form Daft Punk. Phoenix also served as a backing band for Air. But up until now, they have been best known in the US for having their track “Too Young” included on the soundtrack of Sophia Coppola’s “Lost In Translation.” This will all change real soon.

A track from the leak that I found particularly noteworthy is “Love Like A Sunset.” Coming in at over seven minutes, it’s the longest track from the leaked version of the album. I’ve read that it’ll be split in two for the release. Personally, I think this is a mistake. I think they should leave it alone and make it the lead track.

Less poppy than the rest of the album, the track builds and builds, a quality typical of post-rock bands like Mogwai or Godspeed You Black Emperor. Close your eyes and let it flow. The pay off is worth it!