And I’ll start with two of my favorite bands, which, not coincidentally, have very similar styles and come from the same musical places (and yeah, both come from Europe). Phoenix is the french foursome, whose fourth studio album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” just came out last May. It is, in my eyes, their most powerful and exciting album yet. I highly recommend it. Phoenix has come to define that sub-genre of alternative rock that more excites me and that I mostly enjoy. I still feel a rush and energy (although I know it’ll start to fade slowly) whenever I listen to “Lizstomania” and can’t wait to see them live again (the first time I saw them was at a very intimate session in Mexico City, which I can recall as one of the most amazing musical nights I’ve lived).

And then along came Fotos, the Hamburg-based German band. Their sound can be classified along the same lines as Phoenix, they seem to have the same harmony creation process and their style is almost identical. However, their music and lyrics show the place they come from. Their last album “Nach dem Goldrausch” came out exactly one year ago and in it, they sound more and more like Phoenix than in their previous albums. The progression here is clear. Phoenix came first and Fotos, not trying to imitate but finding an inspiration, has come to sound just like them. It’s like a photo, it’s the same thing but in a different way.

Anyway, I liked the wordplay here that would allow me to write a little about my musical emotions lately and if you get a chance (and are into German rock-pop) listen to Fotos. If you haven’t listened to Phoenix, you’re really missing out some good stuff.