Phosphorescent's new release "C'EST LA VIE"

In the five years following Matthew Houck's last LP as Phosphorescent, he's moved city, had children and nearly died of meningitis. You'd therefore forgive him if he returned with a record that sounded a little scattered or reflected such turmoil, sonically. Instead, C'est La Vie sparkles with a sense of self-assuredness that can also be heard in the pristine production work. At times, the album feels ponderous and reflective; Houck's voice sounding dreamy and longing. At other moments, as on single "New Birth In New England", there's a buoyancy that skips along with the pop-kissed charm of prime-era Paul Simon. Houck settles neatly into this realm of the classic singer-songwriter, but his palate always seems to be about pushing into the future as much as kicking around in the past. Such an example is "Around The Horn", which takes meticulous songcraft and seamless melody and stretches it out into guitar- chugging psychedelic rock, almost as if Neu! went Americana.

(Daniel Dylan Wray)