Blog: I Hope Your Ears Bleed

Could anyone plausibly dislike this record? One might whine that France's Phoenix is coasting on a wave of 80's revivalism or that the production is too glossy, but these objections buckle within the first listen of the joyfully dynamic Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. This is a maddeningly likeable record, as evidenced by the endless acclaim of buyers and critics alike. From "Lisztomania," maybe the most immediate opener since Boxer 's "Fake Empire," through the two-part climb of "Love Like A Sunset," Side A is surprisingly diverse. Each song glows in neon, painted in a 1980s [...]