It's Never Been Like That [LP]

by Phoenix

Overview

After avoiding the sophomore slump with relative ease, Phoenix return with their third release stripped of the post-disco house sound that helped to define them, focusing more on the songwriting side of things than any sort of dancefloor-focused groove. In fact, it takes until the fourth song, "Long Distance Call," for anything resembling a dancefloor beat to appear, and when it does it feels like an epilogue to the wonderful "If I Ever Feel Better" off the group's debut record. The band has definitely learned a thing or two through its evolution, placing more of an emphasis on guitar than before (Laurent Brancowitz and Christian Mazzalai sound as if they've been in the woodshed studying the chops of Johnny Marr and the twin-guitar attack of the Strokes' last few records), and their performances sound more confident than ever. Gone are the sluggish country-infused downtempo numbers, replaced with a more even-keeled track sequencing and tempo throughout -- almost as if they've been able to focus on the things that make the band so engaging to begin with, monopolize on them, and move forward in a refreshing and vibrant direction. ~ Rob Theakston

Product Details

Release Date:	02/17/2015
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0094635571615
Rank:	24623

Tracks

1. Napoleon Says
2. Consolation Prizes
3. Rally
4. Long Distance Call
5. One Time Too Many
6. Lost and Found
7. Courtesy Laughs
8. North
9. Sometimes in the Fall
10. Second to None

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Phoenix   Primary Artist
Deck d'Arcy   Bass
Thomas Mars   Vocals
Christian Mazzalai   Guitar
Laurent Brancowitz   Guitar
Thomas Hedlund   Drums
Prince Amethyste   Percussion
Sebastian Schmidt   Drums

Technical Credits

Christian Bader   Engineer
Phoenix   Composer,Producer
Brian Gardner   Mastering
Deck d'Arcy   Group Member
Thomas Mars   Group Member
Christian Mazzalai   Group Member
Laurent Brancowitz   Artwork,Photography,Group Member
Yann Arnaud   Engineer
Prince Amethyste   Assistant
Julien Delfaud   Mixing,Engineer
Philippe Ascoli   A&R
Didier   Assistant Engineer
Cedric Plancy   Assistant Engineer