I am, like many other people at this point, a fan of Seth Rogen. Perhaps not as much as I used to be, but anyway, I convinced myself to Hulu his most recent SNL appearance, imagining that it’d take the show to new heights of hilarity. It didn’t. BUT: one good thing definitely did come out of it. The musical guest, Phoenix, has been steadily and powerfully blowing my mind since I witnessed their performance.

I was a bit worried, considering that most bands that are named after places aren’t necessarily bad, but definitely are a bit corny. Think Asia, Kansas, Chicago, etc. The only exception, I think, is Boston, who just rocked the good F out. So as Seth Rogen was telling me “Ladies and Gentlemen… Phoenix”, my hopes weren’t very high. Then it cut to the band, and they all looked like they hung out with Mark Ruffalo from Eternal Sunshine, and it was so badass. They kicked into “Lisztomania”, the first song off of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and as soon as Thomas Mars sang “So sentimental…”, I was hooked.

A few months ago I went on an indie music spree, which, over the past month or two, has become old and used. During this time, my musical adventures became stale and static once again. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix singlehandedly brought me back from the dead, musically. Hasn’t been a single day I haven’t listened to this album since I got it. It’s a short album, clocking in at just 10 songs, but those 10 songs are refined, perfected, and powerful, not to mention addicting. Mars’ tenor voice sounds like what Jason Schwartzman wishes his did, and the music behind it is absolutely refreshing. Phoenix definitely has their own ‘sound’, but all of the songs on the album have their own unique place within that sound, allowing you to revel in it while continuously not getting sick of it. Every single song is fantastically catchy. The instrumentation is dense, atmospheric, and original in ways that I’ve never heard before. The drums are punchy and upbeat, and the music definitely has a swagger to it. But most of all, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is purely fun. It’s an album that you can throw on at absolutely any time, and it will indeed make you happy. When an album can lift your spirits, make you sing/dance like hell, and give you a new appreciation of music, you know you’ve got a winner. Listening to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is like dreaming about eating a huge, delicious breakfast while you’re sleeping, then as soon as you wake up, that very breakfast is sitting there next to your bed. You don’t know what you did to deserve it, or how it could possibly be so great, but who TF cares. As much as I’d love to keep ranting about how incredible this album is, I’ll let the music speak for itself.

http://www.hulu.com/embed/8kGUkbKGVOeHDtYQyRf7Mw