The Phoenix Foundation - Album Review: Give Up Your Dreams
From
the rather theatrical opening burst of sound you know you’re about to
experience something quite dramatic in The Phoenix Foundation’s sixth studio
album Give Up Your Dreams. With 10
tracks that offer something to really sink your ears into, with soft techno
rhythms and soaring melodies that really take flight. The streams of ambitious music
deliver a bold techno pop sound that floats and helps you to escape into its enchanting
realm. Give Up Your Dreams is almost an instrumental album as the
occasional vocals are laid back in the mix, and in many instances are delivered
as part of the instrumentation. However some great lead vocals from front man
Samuel Flynn Scott are heard in the tuneful tracks Jason and Celestial
Bodies.
Fast upbeat rhythms with delightful dancing keys and dynamic guitar strumming drive the first three tracks, while the 4th track Prawn see’s us go down a gear to a more walk steady beat, which is highlighted perfectly with groovy little guitar licks and cool delay effects that create a dreamy feel. Sunbed offers more gravity defying sounds with its atmospheric strains awash with bold drums that shimmer and help carry the very melodious vocal chorus.
The title track Give Up Your Dreams has an instant catchy feel with its funky beat and groovy melody, the message being about lowering your goals allowing you to relax and enjoy your work, and its upbeat vibe certainly is enjoyable. The album finishes nicely with another dreamy soundscape in Myth where you’re left to float for a few minutes until you’re treated to a steady hip hop beat and thick layered vocal praises, all very colourful and impactful.
At times the amount of sound can be a bit full on, but thankfully it’s never too cluttered to lose its course. The album has many strengths one being that on repeated listenings you hear more of the complexity that has gone into creating the sounds, and so it offers more for the mind and soul each time. And thus a great escape awaits those that take the time to relax and listen to its inspired theme.
About The Phoenix Foundation
"This record is like the beautiful feeling of falling asleep in a hammock out the back of a faded old beach house and dreaming of epic vistas and love affairs… a beautiful record indeed." - Neil Finn – Crowded House/Split Enz
"It swerves gently from kooky guitar sing-alongs to languid psychedelia, it pauses for effect on elegant sad-eyed piano ballads and cinematic synthesizer swirls, it locks itself in its bedroom for a sulk but then it's skipping happily around the backyard just as the sun comes out. Sometimes that's all in the course of one track …" 5 stars
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for The Phoenix Foundation
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