'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix' was an album of essential two moments; 'Litzomania', a song that was subtle, clichic, yet interesting and '1901', a song that was provocative and exciting. Overall, the rest of the album felt like it was trying to recapture these moments, either by amalgamating them or imitating them. Ultimately, the replication of a moment is never as fulfilling as the moment itself and as such the potential of Phoenix seems to have been wasted... I appreciate what Phoenix have apparently done for music, even if I don’t personally see the link between their music and other scenes that have emerged in recent years. Nonetheless, I feel that ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ is an album that is if anything interesting; it illustrates the ways in which indie/alternative music translates to other countries. I find it interesting that Phoenix’s sound should be so comparable and if anything makes you wonder how American and British music seem to translate so easily... This in itself demonstrates a wider topic circling in music, the idea of music as an international language. The idea that music can transcend words and create a universal emotion amongst the listeners, (I realise I’m being very cheesy) the idea that boundaries between nationalities can be broken by relatable music (Ok, I think I’m gonna throw up now). Back to Phoenix, this album is an example of how music can do all of the above without sacrificing its creditability... Overall, I enjoyed listening to ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ because it left me with the impression that, for want of a better phrase; ‘someone out there understands me’. I realise that the popular consensus is that Phoenix really are building bridges in popular music, but personally I think people are just over complicating matters. After all, “Existence precedes essence” (that’s Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existentialist theory btw) and as such the ‘essence’ of Phoenix might be some joyous international hug-a-thon, but their ‘existence’ is great ‘pop’ music (I fear I’m sounding more and more like the NME everyday).