Phoenix - It’s Never Been Like That

It’s well known that France has never been a bastion of decent pop and rock. One exception has been the electronica duo Air, which contributed a fine soundtrack to the Sofia Coppola film The Virgin Suicides. Phoenix, which once shared a label with Air and occasionally served as the duo’s backing band, is another. The group, led by singer Thomas Mars, revels in giddy power-pop and dreamy West Coast rock on songs like the hooky “Consolation Prizes” and the French saluting “Napoleon Says.” C’est tres cool.

June 13