A nameless and a shameless superstar

I've mentioned Phixx several times in the past, but mainly only in passing and often as a reference point, a group whose sound I have compared others' to. However, if you're not familiar with Phixx, those comparisons won't do you much good...so, today, the focus is on Phixx! Popstars: The Rivals, the show that resulted in Girls Aloud, also formed boyband One True Voice. The boys who didn't make it into One True Voice got together and formed Phixx, whose music was, at the time, unique for boybands: more electropop, and often darker. Their image was distinctly different, too: much of Phixx's marketing centered around them shirtless, wrapped up in chains, beaten up, or, as in their "Love Revolution" video, as vampires. Though the band did fairly well in South Africa (performing at least once with another popstar I really like, Heinz Winckler) and released 4 singles in the UK, their UK singles all charted in the 10 to 20 range and, after losing two members, the band has presumably broken up. They've left behind an album with some pretty good songs, though.



Hold On Me--Phixx's debut single. Though I tend to refer to their music as "dark," there are also some very bright aspects of some of their songs; the "electropop" part of my description still holds though, with little electronic runs in the background. I thought about trying to keep this place a little classy and not embedding the video, but really, to understand Phixx, you probably need to see them--not that very many people will be complaining about that, though! Phixx are, sadly, living proof that, no matter how shameless (desperate?) one is in using one's body to promote music, there's no guarantee of success.



Love Revolution--another Phixx single, and another video. I'm not sure how I feel about them turning into vampires (it's sort of creepy, actually), but the song is still good. Don't let Phixx's videos and image overwhelm the fact that, behind that posing, they definitely have some catchy songs.

Superstar--still electropop, but a little more on the poppy and less dark side than some of Phixx's other songs. It's really catchy, too, and the faint voice in the background is a really nice touch.

Voyeur--I am convinced that this should have been a single at some point (even if, musically, "Superstar" might have been a better choice), because it could have given us another top-class video. It is a very good song, though; a bit darker than some of the earlier songs.

If Tomorrow--I think, if I remember correctly, that this song was from when they began thinking about bonus tracks for a UK release of their album and was recorded for future use but (I think) never actually released (I think it might have been put on their website?). It's more traditional than much of their debut album, less electro-based and it includes guitars. It's all right, but I don't think it can match some of their earlier songs for catchiness. (I have this labeled as "If Tomorrow," but it seems to be generally referred to as "If Tomorrow Never Comes").

To buy Phixx's debut album, Electrophonic Revolution, go here (physical) or here (digital; only valid for U.S. residents) or check iTunes.

Next up: Phixx have even more good albums tracks and even some good B-sides, so they'll probably reappear here at some point. As for tomorrow, it might be time for a MySpace check-in; Alistair Griffin might have to wait for a week.