It is not hard to imagine French indie pop darlings Phoenix sitting in a room together. Ideas bubbling. Song sketches effortlessly turning into a bigger picture and the four longtime friends and (soul) brothers spending hours getting lost in the joy of playing music together. All while their music is doing the talking and a subconscious understanding kicks in. With their seventh album to date, Phoenix have returned with a refined and charming sound on "Alpha Zulu". A conversation about the value and stimulating effect of art, the privilege of recording inside a museum and the most rewarding moments of making music together after over two decades.
With the current shutdown of the live music industry the majority of artists are facing one giant existential crisis throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Suddenly, there’s an urgency to talk about the value of art and music again and about what part the current streaming scene plays in this. NBHAP head Norman Fleischer took a moment to reflect on the current crisis and a possible way out of it.