Concertwire.com

The French rock band Phoenix have nailed their sound down after more than a decade of permutation.Vocalist Thomas Mars, bassist Deck d'Arcy, and guitarist Christian Mazzalai were a garage band based out of Mars' house in the suburbs of Paris. Mazzalai's older brother Branco joined the band on guitar when his band Darlin' disbanded. The group got their touring start on the French bar circuit doing Hank Williams and Prince covers to drunk audiences. Two years later the band took on the name Phoenix and pressed 500 copies of a single on their own label, Ghettoblaster. The A-side was a punk rock song and the other a chugging Krautrocker, hinting at their eclectic tastes. Shortly after, they were signed to the Paris-based Source Records. United, the group's debut album, appeared in 2000 on Astralwerks and was recorded over two months. The album featured guest appearances from friends and family, including Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk), Philippe Zdar (Cassius), and d'Arcy's mother's choral society on the track "Funky Squaredance." From that point, they issued Alphabetical (2004), It's Never Been Like That (2006), and Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009). For all the lofty, European implications of the record’s title, the most salient feature of these songs is the accessible, radio-friendly pop tones throughout, from the bubbling opener “Lisztomania” to the galloping “Lasso” and the slightly anthemic “Countdown.” Recently, the group took home a Grammy for "Best Alternative Album" for their efforts, and the single "1901" occupied the number one slot at Alternative Radio.