Phoenix - Ti Amo

Phoenix
Ti Amo
2017
Spotify

The shimmer on this new album from Phoenix is simply fantastic. From the first moment of opener "J-Boy" there is this vibrant sparkle that never leaves the record throughout. This is Phoenix at their most lush and decadent with a sense of luxury dripping from every song. It is like this album was somehow made for the French Rivera but also has an accessibility to it. That is one thing that Phoneix do really well is take what you think something is and hide much more depth underneath. Many of the songs might sound like soft-rock at first glance, but as you dig just a bit deeper you can see the meticulous construction that went into this album. It is dreamy and light, but on purpose, Phoenix work on their craft and deliver something special because of that work rather than just falling into greatness. Ti Amo moves at a super rapid pace, barely letting you open your eyes from one song to the next. "Lovelife" is this little pretty song that starts off rather twee but then moves into this really great pop song with a great message. A song like "Goodbye Soleil" is so shinny on the surface but just underneath you can feel that this gilded sound has some demons and something to share with the world. While Ti Amo feels like a bit of a departure from Phoenix's early albums it still manages to hold on to that disco inspired sound that made them so popular to begin with.

"Fleur de Lys" is a real stunner and leads into "Role Model" which is a real shift into bigger bolder sounds on the album. Phoenix really make an effort to make this album feel like a safe harbor in troubled times. The band have said in previous interviews that a Roman Holiday and Gelato inspired this record as well as the idea of complete escape. They sing in French, Italian and English on this record further pushing the idea of a fully inclusive album. The 36 minute runtime does tend to sail by especially if you have this on as the sun is breaking on a summer day. Yet there is this forced sense, like this is the album that had to be made rather than the one Phoenix wanted to make or could allow to unfold naturally. It is almost like one of those photo real replicas of a famous painting. It may look exactly like it should with every visual being exactly where it should be, but the inspiration is missing that special something to make it blast off. That's what this album is missing, a truly inspired song. Yet there is no way you would ever call this album bad or even not that great, it works on so many levels. Get you some Phoenix.

7.9 out of 10