KEPLER REVIEW:
Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
Phoenix's third album is by far their best. While United and Alphabetical contain some really great singles; "Too Young", "If I Ever Feel Better", "Run Run Run", and "Everything is Everything", they were marred by a desire to experiment that resulted in some laughably bad songs like "Funky Squaredance". It's Never Been Like That is one of the more consistent records of the year. Just about every song could have been a single. This a very hard record to wear out and despite the fact that there's not much going on lyrically here, it is possibly the most enjoyable 40 minutes of music of 2006. Johnny Marr should be very proud of Phoenix's impeccable rhythm guitar playing.
Highlight: "Consolation Prizes".
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