Electronic albums play a huge role in my fascination with music. For me, synthesizers and drum machines aren’t better or worse than live drums and guitars. They’re just different. They make music much more imaginative for me. I think Nick Rhodes’ synth parts on those early Duran Duran albums were some of my first loves. Shimmery one moment, jarring the next. Rhodes’ keyboard flourishes changed the complexion of every song. This month, I’m featuring my Top 15 electronic albums along with one featured track. #15ElectronicLPs
Album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)
Back in 2009, a second wave of synth pop bands was rising. The bands that were leading the charge were Phoenix and MGMT. Their songs made you dance. They made you feel young again. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix gave me a renewed interest in electronic music once again, like their French countrymen Daft Punk. Their synth lines hovered, floated and soared. They didn’t overpower you. This is sugary pop, not a rock and roll album full of bangers.
You don’t over explain songs like “Fences”. You just have fun with them. But I will say this. Phoenix, with these delicious pop songs, found their own brand of rhythmic hooks, lifting spirits with their pregnant pauses, tempo shifts and clever musical layering. “Fences” changed up the instrumentation in a way that made you feel like you were being ushered from one dance floor to another. This is a track that you can let loose to without rocking out.
“Once remembered now forgotten.”