Everything Is Everything — Phoenix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFVeSefg72U

Good pop — pop that doesn't make you feel guilty for liking something popular; pop that isn't simply dumb; pop that isn't about sex or clubs — pop that is about a mood and a feeling, this is rare pop. Old Phoenix, before they were incredibly famous, when they were a little alt-rock outfit from Versailles, this was good, rare pop. And it is — you can choose to listen to the lyrics. They're mostly meaningless, and they know it. And the chords are nothing special, and the instrumentation has some nice jazz chords and surprisingly complex rhythms, but those aren't the reasons we like pop. We like pop because it strikes just the right balance between predictable rhythms and tones and new, fresh timbres. We want to be tickled — not pained, not to have to strive to pay attention, and not to be bored. Listening to this song, I'm tickled. It's cute and charming and interesting; there are four guitars weaving in and out, the acoustic guitar providing some great rhythms, there's dynamics, but moreover it just works.