Phoenix mainly reacted to the bleak surroundings by amplifying the undertones of yearning and escapism that have always been part of its music. It's Never Been Like That has the necessary edge of real art, but it's approachable right down to the final song, "Second To None," with its deep echo and thin lines.  Full text...

Calling any modern guitar band retro has about as much critical use as revealing that the humble oak is wood-derived. Requiring neither beetle-browed bark nor angst-ridden bite, Phoenix's pastel-shaded pop-rock is perennially tagged with reviving a sleeve-rolled sheen stretching from Fleetwood Supertramps to R.E.O Miller Bands.  Full text...

I get the feeling, with the album's slack-rock pedigree, that the members of Phoenix are still holding out on how much they could really achieve. That if they wanted to, these four could rule the world.  Full text...

Almost effortless electronic pop with a distinctly French twist, Phoenix deserves to be so much bigger than they are, but the superb It's Never Been Like That doesn't suggest their low profile will be raised any time soon.  Full text...

Phoenix marks out their territory in the sparsely-attended arena of new soft-rock and demonstrating the genre's compatibility with indie tropes. Dentists sick of REO Speedwagon ballads send their sincere thanks.  Full text...

Despite this happy marriage of fine tunes and critical goodwill, a breakthrough has eluded them.  Full text...

Phoenix return with their third release stripped of the post-disco house sound that helped to define them, focusing more on the songwriting side of things than any sort of dancefloor-focused groove.  Full text...

The third album by the Parisian four-piece, sung in English, comes across as a spirited homage to such acts as the Strokes and the Libertines, only steeped in a jaded Francophonic romanticism.   Full text...

This third album offers a winsomeness that's at its catchiest on One Time Too Many, and most energised on Courtesy Laughs. And, being French, they couldn't resist a soupçon of enigmatic stylishness, as found on Napoleon Says. What do they mean, "You know you're French, well/Didn't take any decision so far ..."?  Full text...

They may sound as American as Bruce Springsteen eating a Big Mac while wrapped in the Stars 'n' Stripes, but don't be fooled; Phoenix are as French as Poirot selling strings of garlic in Montmartre on Bastille Day.  Full text...

The group concentrates on the visceral, and the results shine through in deceptively simple, richly textured songs like "One Time Too Many" and the exuberant rockers "Long Distance Call" and "Courtesy Laughs."  Full text...

Phoenix is a band still looking for its way.   Full text...