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Jun 07, 2017 Web Exclusive By Stephen Mayne

When they’re having a bad day, what gets the four members of Phoenix out of bed, because for the rest of us it’s the gloriously buoyant pop-rock they’ve been practising for nearly two decades now. Ti Amo is their sixth album, the last one (Bankrupt!) coming four years back in 2013, and for the most part it’s as gorgeously fun as ever.

Usually bands hit a highpoint of acclaim and popularity that can’t be reached again. It’s the rare few that can sustain and rescale the highest level. It’s looking likely Phoenix hit the top peak in 2009 with the release of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, a ridiculously good record mixing mature song writing with youthful energy and a sack full of ideas. Like Bankrupt!, Ti Amo is a step or two down the ladder, which still leaves a record hard to switch off.

Just try ignoring opening single “J-Boy” that kicks the record off by dropping a beat and exploding into life, synths twinkling over the top as lead singer Thomas Mars delivers lines like he’s strutting around in a Talking Heads video.

The title track follows straight after, sticking to a similar formula, namechecking the likes of Buzzcocks while “standing by the jukebox.” Glimmers of the Wolfgang peak can be heard on “Fior di Latte” but there’s nothing to match the magic of “1901” or “Lisztomania.” Only “Fleur de Lys” really stands out from the crowd.

Consistency is part of the game here instead, the focus on the overall experience. There’s an interchangeability to most of the tracks that is a weakness in some ways and a strength in others. The record might end up sounding similar, but that’s kind of the point. Mars and his bandmates are busy focussing instead on delivering a retro club night to remember. Ti Amo is music to dance to, and dark as the world might appear, no one’s stopping Phoenix having fun. (www.wearephoenix.com)

Author rating: 7/10