After the huge artistic and commercial success of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart nearly four (!) years ago, Phoenix finally return with a new track Entertainment, from their forthcoming record Bankrupt!, and they deliver big. From the exclamation point in the new album's title to the immense production on this new single, it looks like Phoenix have decided to kick it up another notch for 2013.
Favouring a looping synth and pummeling drums to back up Thomas Mars' typically cool vocals, this first single suggests a bolder, more playful version of the band. Lyrically, things are as oblique as ever (with the grammatically curious 'Is everything they long together' a particular highlight) and it seems like the band are fully embracing it now. The video accompanying the single features the lyrics displayed in a crude script, complete with glowing light that illuminates in time with the verse, like the opening credits of The Thing from Another World coupled with a haunted karaoke video.
Phoenix have been steadily moving in this direction with each album, developing a stunning symbiosis between their innate pop sensibilities and more elaborate flourishes. It's clever, engaging music that is also effortlessly fun, and it hints at another yet another exciting record from this great band.
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