The Phoenix Foundation: Merry Kriskmass EP (Phoenix Foundation)

 |   |  <1 min read

The Phoenix Foundation: Everybody's Money
The Phoenix Foundation: Merry Kriskmass EP (Phoenix Foundation)

If you believe the anti-hype, this isn't exactly the Phoenix Foundation's cash-in on Christmas but has been inspired by The Krisk who is -- and I am just quoting here -- "a small stuffed white man who rides a reindeer". It is he who appears on the cover, has inspired this six-song EP (plus uncredited but uninteresting soundscapes buried away at the end) and is the subject of the opener, a piece of bouncy pop.

So not a jingle bell in earshot -- but on Everybody's Money the spirit of Beatles '67 is conjured up on a delightful piece of psychedelic pop, and Forget It is a chipper post-Flying Nun slice of indie-rock with fairground swirling organ. Party Below is a mildly menacing mood piece with odd noises, Wrestling With Demons is almost a seasonal singalong (except it is about walking into the wilderness) and the instrumental The Man Next Door again messes with your head in discreetly psychedelic/soundtrack way.

So, not quite a cash-in or knock off for Christmas, but the sound of a band enjoying themselves (for your sake) in the studio while recording their forthcoming album.

The signs here -- especially Everybody's Money and the slightly eerie The Man Next Door -- suggest it will be worth waiting for. Meantime . . . 

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Music at Elsewhere articles index

Efterklang: Altid Sammen (4AD/Rhythmethod/digital outlets)

Efterklang: Altid Sammen (4AD/Rhythmethod/digital outlets)

As with so many Scandinavian art music/rock bands, the Danes behind Efterklang bring some considerable influences from classical music (contemporary and traditional) to what they do.... > Read more

The National: A Skin, A Night/The Virginia EP (Beggars Banquet)

The National: A Skin, A Night/The Virginia EP (Beggars Banquet)

Don't be put off by the under-selling title here, this is much more than an EP (which I consider to be what, four, maybe five songs?) This "EP" is a 12 track collection which features... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

THE WRITE STUFF: Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift

THE WRITE STUFF: Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift

When I started at the Herald in 1987, Peter Scherer was the editor. Those were the days before titles like Editor-in-Chief or Editor-at-Large. Peter – who you could call by his first name... > Read more

THE BEATLES IN COMICS by MICHELS MABEL and GAET'S

THE BEATLES IN COMICS by MICHELS MABEL and GAET'S

Some weeks ago with a bit of downtime and prompted by a comic All Our Yesterdays -- which traced the Beatles' career -- we offered an illustrated look at how the Beatles had been portrayed as... > Read more