It might be the intro’s pulsing and the sing-stuttering or maybe it’s the rock pop and glazed vocals. I don’t know for sure, but whatever the reason, Phoenix’s single ’1901′ got me through finals week despite late nights, all nighters, and pure misery.

Emergency song kit coming your way:

It was the first single released from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix’s long-awaited May release. Well, probably more long-awaited for perennial Phoenix fans hailing from France and other European countries. Wolfgang is their fourth album release, which was some surprise to me, an American fan who’s just recently hopped the Phoenix train.

After some hefty google-ing, I discovered quite an impressive history.
It’s crazy to think these guys started out over a decade ago in suburbs on Versailles. Before the name Phoenix was even established, they were more ambiguously known as those dudes playing in that remix of ‘Kelly Watch the Stars’ by Air. Things got serious when guitarist Laurent Brancowitz committed to Phoenix by officially leaving Darlin’, an unsuccessful starter band with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (no worries, the two soon became Daft Punk).

By 2003 Phoenix discreetly tapped into the US underground when ‘Too Young’ was featured in Lost in Translation, the sulky and witty drama directed by award-winning screenwriter Sofia Coppola. This was some good exposure for their first album United, and with each album the reviews became more fanatic. Listeners loved how the music moved and grooved, even describing Phoenix’s tunes as, “Pop at its finest.”

But this fourth album release has brought them to new heights. Phoenix is the most blogged artist on Hype Machine and first runner up on Elbo.ws. XMU channel 43 on XM radio rotates multiple Phoenix singles among Grizzly Bear’s ‘Two Weeks’ and ‘Golden Skans’ by Klaxons. All in all people believe that after three albums, Phoenix still has it, and now the boys are really bringin’ it.

That’s word from popular opinion, let’s see what long-term fans are saying:

“Phoenix are one of the greatest bands to come out of France in the last 15 years (along with Daft Punk and Air, two of my great musical loves, and several other bands that formed around the same time), and they are finally receiving some well-deserved attention. Phoenix just keep getting better, and they know it — they love it, they exploit it, they bathe in its glory. Seriously, who else would have the “couilles” to title their fourth album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix? But it’s justified: This album is pure shining genius from a band rife with unique sound and creativity, a gift that the American public is starved for in these vapid, manufactured-Disney-pop times. I’ve been hooked on Phoenix since the moment I saw their “If I Ever Feel Better” video while living in Paris in 2001. Over the past decade, Phoenix have continually reinvented their sound — with undeniable cohesion and hat-tips to previous albums — and WAP, their pièce de résistance, is no exception. ” – M. Mills, Amazon.com customer

A well-put, honest review from a man who know what he’s  talking about. Now my take:

I heard a greater part of this album piecemeal via satellite radio and the internet, and I believe each song is its own chunk of brilliance. My first impression was something like,  ”These disco vocals are reminiscent of  Kevin Barnes in the best way, and I love their house twist on alt rock.” So come the day I finally hear Wolfgang in its entirety, and the only flaw I can find is repetitiveness. The chemistry among the first five tracks is almost tangible. It’s easy for a band of this genre to OD on toe-tapping, head-bobbing poppiness, but they politely refrain. And just wait til you reach the delicate installment of some raw danceability with track four, ‘Love Like a Sunset, Part I’ followed by its cute and breezy counterpart, ‘Love Like a Sunset, Part II.’

And here they are now, conveniently bundled in one song for your listening pleasure:

Visualize:

After the fabulous five, the tracks are still individually strong, but the album grows tiresome. You listen, sort of, and  kinda click around your iTunes for a new artist. It’s weird, because soon you’ll fall in love with ‘Lasso’ or ‘Rome’ when it comes up on shuffle, just not when lost in the sea of the entire CD. (Or maybe that’s just an anecdote from my Saturday night, who knows?)

So there you have it, popular opinion vs. avid listener M. Mills vs. just me.

Have a go, and tell us what you think. For the greater good of your ears, invest some time in Phoenix.

Nowadays, it seems as if it is getting harder and harder to find magazines or publications with any substance. But for those interested in venturing into eclectic bookstores (i.e. Trident on Boston’s Newbury Street), look for the art and design publication Beautiful/Decay. Immediately, the cover draws in any passersby with it’s provoking and contemporary artwork. The cover of the recent issue X has a colorful portrayal of a soldier covered in graffiti standing in the middle of a surreal jungle scene. But the cover is only the beginning of what it holds printed inside. There are pages and pages of contemporary artwork from new artists, making Beautiful/Decay a great stepping-stone for emerging talent. In addition to the publication which is printed quarterly, Beautiful/Decay also has a website and e-mail newsletter that provides more information about the creative world and updates on B/D ventures, respectively.

Rokurokubi by Aya Kato

Another way Beautiful/Decay reaches out to its audience (and perhaps the most creative way) is through its artist-inspired apparel line. All the artists who design for the line have been featured in the B/D publication and were picked because of their extraordinary talent and ability to catch the attention of readers. The artists, who range in their styles and themes, are given the opportunity to design 1-2 shirts for the Artist Series Apparel  and showcase their artwork through a contemporary media. Under the direction of Something in the Universe (an extension of Beautiful/Decay), the apparel line has been able to grow significantly and produce screen prints of more than 40 emerging artists.

Frog Prince by Aya Kato

Unlike most artists who collaborate with the Artist Series Apparel line for only a couple shirts, Aya Kato has collaborated with Beautiful/Decay in order to form her own unique line.

“For me, the beauty of Japanese art is in its two dimensions – its deepness and the beauty of the outlines. I often find inspiration from books or poetic language and my pieces extend from there. I like to think the passion I have for my work is expressed through the images I produce and would love to collaborate with people all over the world – in music, illustration and fashion.” – Aya Kato

Her style of combing Art Nouveau with Japanese scroll art is particularly reflected in her designs “Frog Prince” and “Rokurokubi.” Both of these shirts exhibit Kato’s strong Japanese influence along with her unique and imaginative perspective.

Lung Music by Jan Kallwejt

By working with artists such as Aya Kato, Beautiful/Decay has been able to help new, influential artists reach a larger audience. By giving people in the creative world access to new art, Beautiful/Decay is doing both sides of the creative world a service. What started out as a fun project for creative director Amir H. Fallah and his neighbor has blossomed into the sophisticated art and design business it is today.

In passing, I had heard of the man who had walked across the Twin Towers on a tightrope.  I racked it in my brain along with equally bizarre feats: the guy who crashed down Niagara Falls in a barrel, Evil Knievel jumping sixteen cars on his motorcycle, David Blaine being David Blaine—they’re all there together.  I already knew the outcome; he made it across.  It’s interesting and all, but I was skeptical of Man On Wire, a feature length documentary that focuses entirely on a single fleeting moment.  Does the tightrope walker, Philippe Petit have a drug addiction and in his recovery realizes that he must fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a circus performer?  Is he doing this as a means for funding an expensive surgery for his terminally ill child?  Is it an extreme method for conquering his fear of heights?  How is filmmaker James Marsh possibly going to engage me with ninety-four minutes of tightrope walking, and what melodramatic background story was he going to try and scam me with?

Philippe Petit walks between the two towers

Petit enlightens the media’s inquires about his motivation for his tightrope performance with a simple reply, “There is no why.”  Just like Petit’s balancing act, the film is not about the “why.”  Man On Wire transcends the physical motivation.  A skeptic myself, I could not help but become lost in Petite’s lust—his love for life.  Petit recounts his adventures in a manner reflective of his exploits: he has the grace of a tightrope walker and the edginess of someone balancing above a violent death.  When his old flame, Annie Allix recounts Petite’s nights leading up to the performance at the World Trade Center, she comments on his obsession with crime capers and gangster films.  Though his tightrope walking is a public spectacle, it also entails mischief and deceit.  As we learn about his character, the similarities to another lively Frenchman become strikingly apparent.
In Petit we see Jean-Luc Godard.  Like Petit, gangsters and criminals fascinate Godard, and whereas Godard manipulates the genre into a light-hearted approach to the gangster film, Petit chooses to translate it into art of tightrope walking and the process that goes along with it.  Instead of the visuals of film, Petit’s spectacle is the act of walking across a tightrope, which is strung up across massive public venues like the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Sydney Harbor Bridge and ultimately the World Trade Center.  It is the magnitude of the venues that move the film along, not just because they are wonderful—which they are—but because the process behind each display becomes an adventure, which even in its innocence, rivals the exhilaration of the most formidable crime capers.

Phillippe Petit on a Tightrope Between the WTC

There are no jewels, no safes and no canvas sacks full of money, there are blueprints, moving vans and an impressive collection of Jheri curled wigs and over-the-top facial hair.  Marsh utilizes reenactments in the instances when artifacts are not available, and in doing so gives life to the crime caper homage that keeps the film moving steadily forward.  Though there are scenes that are incongruent with the purist approach to the documentary, Marsh appeases the documentary film’s necessity for archival material, with old footage and photographs of Petite training on practice wires, as well as images of his actual performances.  The talking heads are also there, providing a narrative for the progression of Petit’s exploits.  Though Man On Wire is enriched by the dramatization of the tightropes’ set up, the ultimate payoff is the footage of Petit’s performance at the World Trade Center.
The past few years, there have been a number of really great bank-heist films (Inside Man, Ocean’s Eleven, The Italian Job), but as thrilling as they are, ultimately, the payoff does not compare to that of Man On Wire.  Yes, it’s true that we become sympathetic to the objectives of the charismatic thieves, but in the end, watching already wealthy actors pretend to get rich provides only a superficial sense of satisfaction.  Man On Wire triumphs, because as a documentary it shows us the glory of a heist and the artistic exploits of a remarkable exhibitionist.  Petit and his crew beat the odds, and in doing so achieve a payoff amply greater than any monetary gain.  In a press conference following Petit’s post Twin Tower arrest, a police officer overwhelmed by the spectacle, sums it up best; “I figured I was watching something that somebody else would never see again in the world.  Thought it was once in a lifetime.”
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Right now, summer is kickin’ in full gear. It seems like the fall is so far away. However, this isn’t thecase; fall is creeping closer and closer with every passing minute. With fall comes the exciting, fresh, new school year. You’re going to need something durable and fashionable to carry around your laptop, iPod, textbooks, pens, pencils, and everything else. What better excuse to cop the Incase Nylon Backpack?
Incase has a reputation of pairing minimalism and elegance with mad functionality. They make a wide range of electronic accessories, but nothing as sweet as the Nylon Backpack. It has a ton of features including:

• Reinforced notebook protection with plush faux-fur interior lining
• Custom weather resistant nylon construction
• Custom topographic print lining
• Two primary exterior zipper compartments for ample storage
• Exterior horizontal zipper pocket revealing three internal well pockets
• Large exterior vertical zipper pocket behind mesh back panel
• Interior zipper pocket with topographic print lining
• Multiple interior mesh utility pockets with elastic tops for sturdy storage of variably sized items
• Two interior well pockets with Velcro closures
• Three interior business card pockets
• Exterior top-loading faux-fur lined zipper pocket with iPod headphone port
• Two exterior faux-fur lined hip pockets with iPod headphone port
• Padded shoulder straps for increased comfort and ergonomic support
• Padded back panel with breathable mesh and integrated air-flow channels
• Adjustable sternum and waist straps for increased comfort and stability
• Reinforced nylon top-loading handle
• Heavy-duty YKK zipper pulls and closed-seam zipper construction
• Breakaway key ring and accessory attachments

I’ve been looking for a decent bookbag-style laptop carrying case for a while now. One drawback though, is that it’s pricy at $99. Nevertheless, my prayers have been answered. Finally, I know that this fall I’ll be rocking the Nylon Backpack. Will you?