By Ryan Reed, eMusic ContributorIn our age of overnight indie mega-stars, Phoenix are the last of a dying breed. The French quartet earned their success the hard way: gradually building an international fanbase over the course of a decade… more »
By Barry Walters, eMusic ContributorWhat Phoenix does better than just about any current band is combine the euphoria of a raucous rock 'n' roll show with the surgical exactitude of studio-crafted dance music. Mixing the obstreperousness of old-fashioned guitar/bass/drums/keys… more »
By Jon Wiederhorn, eMusic ContributorIt's amazing how much expression and emotion certain grindcore bands can pack in the timespan of a couple television commercials. Take Blockheads, a French quartet whose fifth full-length, The World is Dead, compresses 25 songs… more »
By Hua Hsu, eMusic ContributorThe French producer Onra first came to prominence with Chinoiseries, an adventurous 2007 collection of beat collages drawn from from an eye- and ear-opening visit to his father's native Vietnam. His marvelous 2010 follow-up, Long… more »
By Jon Wiederhorn, eMusic ContributorThough he was raised in a vibrant French black metal scene, Alcest frontman Neige outgrew the rage and nihilism of the genre and strived to craft something that's just as powerful but far more beautiful.… more »
By Barry Walters, eMusic ContributorAfter 2006's relatively rough and relaxed It's Never Been Like That, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix emphasizes the French quartet's ordinarily opposing extremes. Although outside drummers are hired and various hands overdub keyboards, the kinetic grooves on… more »
By Justin Davidson, eMusic ContributorIgor Stravinsky belonged to a generation of creators, inventors, artists and scientists who fundamentally rethought human experience. Einstein rewrote the way we understand space and time. The Wright brothers did the same, making it possible… more »
By Elizabeth Isadora Gold, eMusic ContributorTo say Nina Simone was "one of a kind" is an understatement. Her particular talents and passions absorbed, in seemingly equal measure, Bach, southern spirituals and oddball pop hits. Her activities ranged from the radically… more »