Springfest 2010

Matt and Kim, Phoenix, Arctic Monkeys, Passion Pit, and Kid Cudi. No, that's not not a list of my favorite music from the past year, it's the options PKG has given the UVa student body to vote on for who they want to play Springfest 2010. Yeah, that's a damn good list.

Let's hope PKG can get any one of these artists here, but in the mean time go vote here, after you've gotten over how awesome each one these artists is. Also, for those of you who have been living under an Indie rock, here's a taste of what each of these artists has to offer.

Matt and Kim - "Daylight" (above). Otherwise known as the song from the Bacardi commercial. I hear they have a few other decent songs as well.

Phoenix - "1901." The entirety of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, their most recent album, is excellent. Look for it to appear on a ton of "Best of 2009" lists.

Passion Pit - "Moth's Wings." They've been featured here and on every other music blog more than a few times this year.

Arctic Monekeys - "Brianstorm." It's very tough to pick one favorite from this band. Their first album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, became and still is the UK's fastest selling album ever.

Kid Cudi - "Pursuit of Happiness." Cudi is kind of like a big deal. You might have heard "Day n' Nite" just a few times on the radio earlier this year. Plus, we already know, he's awesome live.

The choice is yours, and yours alone.

Amazon's 50/$5 August Recommendations

I've recently become aware of amazon.com's monthly promotion where the top album picks from the site editors go up for sale for $5 each. The only troublesome part of the whole deal is that the editors end up posting 50 albums, which may seem a little overwhelming for those looking to get the absolute most bang for their music-loving buck. To try and solve this problem, I've decided to prune each of these lists each month starting now. So, without further ado, here's the cream of the crop of this month's 50/$5 deals.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix














The Field - Yesterday and Today














A-Trak - Infinity +1














The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale














Dirty Projectors - Rise Above














Luckily, this month's selections provided for pretty eclectic mix ranging everywhere from hip-hop to indie rock, and even minimalistic progressive techno. Hopefully, you find these recommendations helpful, and be sure to check out next month's top 5 50/$5.

Review: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Phoenix, the French hipster quintet that share the same stomping grounds as international successes Air and Daft Punk, seems to have been on the up-and-up since their debut in 2000, but I had only heard of them in passing until now. With the release of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix earlier this year, the band seems to have made quite a splash with singles like "Lisztomania" and "1901," which have both been getting airtime on prime time television as well as the remix treatment from producers all over the world.

Between the snippets of their performance on Saturday Night Live, some remixes by the likes of Andrew Maury from the Remix Artist Collective and Alex Metric, and a few facebook messages (thanks, Helen!), Phoenix quickly became a name that I could no longer ignore. And, I have to say, now that the firey bird has entered my realm of music knowledge and appreciation, I am much better for it. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, although not necessarily groundbreaking, presents a such a wide range of pop hooks that showcase a flexibility that not many other artists seem to have. And, while some of the diversity seems like attempts to emulate other artists, Phoenix still does it well enough to come off as distinctly different and--in some cases--better than their inspirations.

The record kicks off with the 80s sounding lead single, "Listzomania," a song that will have you wondering why this band isn't bigger; that is, if you aren't too busy dancing or wondering why this song hasn't been included in the soundtrack to some generation-defining film already. Thomas Mars' contradictory, angsty, yet substantial lyrics make for a strong song alone, but the bouncing guitar riffs will keep you coming back for a good time.

Similarly, the second single off Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, "1901," delivers quite an impact too, only in the form of a more modern dance rock tune. "Fences" then subdues the vocals to a light whimper while highlighting some plunky guitar work remeniscent of early Minus the Bear. Vocals are then taken out completely for the most part of "Love Like a Sunset" (until part 2 strikes up) in exchange for loops of electronic beeps that are paired with traditional instruments, creating a Battles-type vibe; but, Phoenix is much less experimental, and generally more pop focused, with their instrumentation. "Lasso" returns Phoenix back to the more dance-y side of things by bringing a faster tempo and vocals back out in full force, but giving them a Tegan and Sara-esque twist in terms of cadence and intonation. "Rome" continues in this vocal style while also slowing down to a more melancholy pop sound. It actually isn't until the last three tracks of the album that Phoenix starts to shed obvious comparisons and start sounding more distinct.

This lack of distinction is by no means negative though. All of their borrowings and influences seem to flow naturally through the band's dynamic, and no single convention serves to keep the tunes afloat. Phoenix just seems to be toying with established styles and then making them their own, and let me tell you, they are pretty successful at doing this.

As the album title may seem to imply, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is a collection of songs that are classically poppy. Full of emotive, contrary wisdoms, fun choruses, bouncy guitars, and (of course) danceable beats, Phoenix's latest makes for quite and enjoyable listen, even on the 100th playthrough.