CD REVIEWS POP/ROCK

Phoenix, "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" (Glassnote)

Optimistic high-school orchestra teachers and the dapper French quartet Phoenix might be the only people who can envision a wave of "Lisztomania" sweeping today's youth. But the title of the leadoff track from Phoenix's new album is an apt synopsis of their mannered yet effervescent romanticism. This CD is danceable but only a little disco, synth-driven but clubland-averse, an easy record to like but a more difficult one to love. It's fitting that many American fans learned of the band through the "Lost in Translation" soundtrack, as "Wolfgang" evokes that film's dazed sensuality and sense of fleeting pleasure. The first single, "1901," is driven by a thick, shimmering Moog and Thomas Mars' collar-loosening yelps, and "Lasso" and "Countdown" are especially scintillating rockers. Yet after a good number of frothy tracks like "Girlfriend" and a long instrumental doodle, Phoenix's pleasures become akin to eating a tin of cake frosting: It's a worthy and delicious Friday night endeavor, but expect a touch of a toothache in the morning. Phoenix performs June 23 at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis.

AUGUST BROWN, LOS ANGELES TIMES

Grizzly Bear, "Veckatimest" (Warp)

Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear: These days, there's a zoo full of melodically gifted indie-rock mammals who have spent ample time hibernating in their bedrooms with their Beach Boys records. Grizzly Bear, which doesn't sound the slightest bit ferocious but comes by its moniker honestly (the drummer's name is Christopher Bear), is a Brooklyn quartet of NYU grads whose third album is named after a small island off Cape Cod. Sometimes songwriters Daniel Rossen and Ed Droste's tunes can come off like academic exercises. But, for the most part on "Veckatimest," and particularly on the stunningly beautiful "Two Weeks," Grizzly Bear lives up to its burgeoning reputation as an acoustic American counterpart to Radiohead. They skillfully turn the difficult trick of making intricately experimental and gorgeously sung music that's every bit as inviting as it is challenging. (Grizzly Bear performs June 7 at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.)

DAN DELUCA, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Mandy Moore, "Amanda Leigh" (Storefront)

When the onetime teenage icon released her fifth CD, "Wild Hope," in 2007, it marked the first time Moore had co-written an entire album. With heavy folk and singer/songwriter elements, it was a noticeable departure from her earlier radio-ready pop tunes. She also co-wrote her latest, "Amanda Leigh," and it takes another step away from the preteen MTV limelight and delves further into alt-rock territory. Whether she is performing a Decemberists- inspired orchestral-pop number or belting out lively melodies lifted from the 1940s Broadway stage, there is a compelling earnestness, even innocence, to Moore's vocals. Yet, while the songs are well written and orchestrated, "Amanda Leigh" lacks anything truly stunning or groundbreaking to bring Moore to the forefront of her new genre.

KATHERINE SILKAITIS, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER