In interviews, the members of Phox have a conversational style that reflects the Wisconsin band’s music—it’s playful and thoughtful, serious in its ambitions, but seriously fun when all is said and done. With folk-like delicacy, jazz-like precision and a very indie sense of irreverence, the group’s self-titled Partisan debut is one of the best underground-pop records of the year. These high-school friends will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on them.
I’m pretty sure when this album came out, Punch Brothers were doing one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. The, ahem, “bluegrass” quintet would perform standing in a semi-circle around two microphones. Most shows we see (ours included) run no fewer than 20 lines. The most fantastic thing about this is that 500 people or so could hear some of the most prodigious musicians on their instruments as if they were in their own living room. Few concert experiences I’ve ever had come close to rivaling the intimacy, authenticity, and humor (seriously, half the banjo solos were more poignant than any stand-up routines I’ve seen) of this era of Punch Brothers.
