Customer Reviews

United (Frn)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is definitely one of my favorite albums of all time.
As a dj, I Discovered it like many others trough the single 'If I Ever Feel Better' who was remixed by the big names of French House.
It is the perfect CD to listen at home while having a drink with friends or alone.
If I Ever Feel Better, Too Young and Honeymoon are 80s style melancholic electro-pop masterpiece, while some tracks like 'School Rules'are more on the rock edge.
Funky Squaredance is the secret highlight of the album for me, three songs in one.
I was also very surprised to see that Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk, Stardust, Roule and Irreversible) was playing keyboards for the band.
A must-buy!

This CD is amazing. The disc, is very short, sadly. However, the songs here show very grown up songwriting, tight grooves, and an amazing sound. There is not a dead spot, except maybe to middle of Funky Squaredance. It's slow but its ok, it's not their fault. I cannot wait to hear Alphabetical. Get this record as soon as humanly possible

Describing this album to one of my friends I said, "it's kind of a frech-disco-pop-rock album. Honestly, that's a pretty good descriptions. There are two songs "Too Young" and "IF I ever" that are strong catchy little numbers. For the U.S. version they even included a remix of "Too Young," which is of Lost In Translation fame.
All in all, this is a great album to chill out to. You know those laid back Sea and Cake tracks that are just perfect for laid-back Sunday afternoons? There is a track here, I think #8, that is so close to that, you just can't help but imagine yourself the recluse of some deserted island. Somewhere time seem to reverse itself and, as opposed to the continually quickening pace of the rest of the world, actually seems to slow itself to the point that each thought seems like an entity unto iself so that, yes, you can finally, SLOW DOWN. Now, given, that is just one song, but nonetheless the record works well, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

I found this album from the track in Lost in Translation which I really really liked. I then went out and bought the album and have been a happy man ever since. I really feel strongly that this band can and will get much bigger. Yea its pop and somewhat simple, but its got an undercurrent and just simply makes me feel good. I spoke to Astralwerks who supposedly will release a new album in July, buy this one then buy the new one.

this is sooooo good....when i heard this album i was mad that i did not have this for the past 4 years that it has been out, it is really heartfelt and not campy like others might say...the lyrics chosen by a french singer are amazing, the way he says things that are simple but in a really unique way and his voice is beautiful...I feel like this is the pop/rock version of daft punk's "discovery" dance cd.....their new one is coming out soon so buy this one now and you will put it on over and over again

I saw Everclear in 1999. (I realize that I just lost all of my potential credibility, but please understand, I was 13, and Everclear wrote catchy songs, and just like "Hey Jude" and the Brady Bunch, they made excellent use of the syllable "na," which made them instantly likeable to any prepubescent power chord junkie.) In some trite attempt to sell merchandise or be funny, despite all the songs about dead family members and heroin, Everclear's merchandise donned the slogan "Disco Still Sucks." After watching Art Alexakis on Behind the Music, I trusted him, and seeing as how I didn't live through disco myself, I figured I'd take his word for it.

Maybe I still don't know disco, save for the fact that it was the only movement ridiculous enough to propose that John Travolta shake his booty (I'm assuming they didn't use the term "boo-tay" in that era) to the sounds of Beethoven's Fifth. However, most of the artists that subtly hint at disco now seem to get a pretty solid result. It's as if disco was a natural disaster, and the span of time you have to wait before you can make jokes about it is finally over. It spawned a track on Ben Folds's first recent solo EP called "Protection" that stands as the best song he's done since splitting up the Five. The Bad Plus dug up Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and turned it into an odd-time piano jazz melee. I would even go so far as to say we can thank disco for the sweeping orchestral lines on much of the recent Flaming Lips material. Plus there's house music and electroclash, neither of which I listen to, yet I know that I try to steer clear of the initials "D," "F," and "A."

Phoenix's United album has two standout tracks, both of which are probably the best modern disco-infused tracks I've heard since I've been listening to modern disco-infused tracks, which was about the time I bought this album. The first, "Too Young," starts with a 2-note, squeaky clean electric guitar hook over layers of synth and Hamilton Beach processed acoustic-sounding guitar, then spills into a verse that sounds like Jason Mraz playing with FruityLoops. "If I Ever Feel Better" is similar, if a little less fast paced and catchy, but both tracks are perfect as danceable pop rock.

The rest of the album can be a little more jumbled; crunch guitar driven tracks like "School's Rule," "Party Time," and the drifty pop of "Summer Days" demonstrate that the alphabetical proximity to Phantom Planet isn't so far off. "Embuscade" has a jazzy feel that puts it somewhere between Stone Temple Pilots's weak stabs at jazz on Tiny Music... and the romantic, gets-the-girl theme at the end of every James Bond movie. "Definitive Breaks" is the darker side of the same song, but its got that synthetic 1980s Timothy Dalton Bond feel, more like the song they play at the end of the credits that no one quite gets to.

Then there's "Funky Squaredance," which is such a bizarre creation that it deserves its own paragraph. Part 1 is a twangy country ballad with goofy reflections on death, but if you thought country music couldn't get worse, try adding that computerized Kci and Jojo "Crazy" vocal effect that has, to date, NEVER been used effectively. Yep, it's there, splattered all across the too typical acoustic guitar. Part 2 picks up, Phoenix does their best Action Figure Party impression (except that they predate Greg Kurstin's popularity, but you get the idea). Part 3 is the masterpiece though, mostly because of the contrast between the searing electric guitars that start it out and the vocal/keyboard/pulsing bass drum in the break. The more times they repeat the name "Funky Squaredance," over hairy, wailing guitar solos, the more you can laugh at the country twang of the first part. Aptly named, the song is indeed one of the funkiest of squaredances.

United really does deliver, not quite as something incredibly pioneering like their country- and labelmates Air, but nonetheless a catchy collection and perfect party soundtrack. Don't expect a total dance-pop album if you're picking it up for "Too Young," which is probably gaining some popularity after popping up on the Lost in Translation soundtrack, but the disco dance tunes are definitely the highlights. But like I said, I didn't know disco, so don't take my word for it. But I wouldn't trust that Alexakis guy either.

Phoenix follows the French ironic-pop tradition established by other DJs like Daft Punk or Air, only that Phoenix covers new territory: 70s metal, Country, or 80s new wave. There's not much depth to the lyrics but these songs are clean, light, catchy, and poppy, and feel so plastic without sounding unoriginal or commericial. The album has about 2 good songs, 3 decent songs, and the rest is just bad...but the entire album is FUN.

I first heard Phoenix's remix of Air's "Kelly Watch the Stars." They took the song and completely turned it into something else entirely, very impressive. Then came "Heat Wave" on "Source Material" another great track. Finally after hearing "If I Ever Feel Better", I was completely sold. That song, which is on "United" is truly unbelievable. It has an uptempo feel, (I listen to it to get pumped up sometimes) in a downtempo way. The lyrics are beauitul as is the singer's voice. So I bought "United". Phoenix have a completely unique sound. They sound as they are out of the 70's and yet there is freshness to the music. The songs on this album jump around, don't expect them to sound anything alike. But in a good way, there is diversity on this record. Phoenix are a great band if you are looking for something new and something fun.

I spent some time looking for it in stores, and was not able to locate it. I bought United on the basis of how Too Young sounded to me. It is a very lively and refreshing song which I first heard on the Shallow Hal Soundtrack. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the rest of the album. It is great from start to finish. I hope that Phoenix comes out with new stuff soon.

I love the melodies and the way the band blends the instrumentation so well. I think it's difficult to find actually talented bands now a days. That's why I had to order this CD from the internet - no place I went to had it. I'm very glad I ordered it. 5 out of 5. (I would have given 6)