The Phoenix Foundation
Embracing the pastoral calm of alt-country and the passion of indie rock, the Phoenix Foundation are one of the most successful independent acts to emerge from New Zealand in the early 2000s. Buffalo was their international breakthrough, earning them an audience outside their homeland in 2010, and 2013's Fandango was an ambitious double-length album that gave them an opportunity to work out their ideas at greater length.
The Phoenix Foundation were formed in 1997 by singer and guitarist Samuel Flynn Scott, guitarist and keyboard man Conrad Wedde, and Luke Buda on vocals, guitars, and keyboards. Though they grew up listening to Pantera, Slayer, and Sepultura, they were eager to explore other sounds and spent their first two years woodshedding and mapping out their creative direction. The Phoenix Foundation released their first EP, China Cove, in 2000. A year later, the band grew to a six-piece with the addition of bassist Tim Hansen, drummer Richie Singleton, and percussionist Will Ricketts.
That edition of the group began writing and recording songs in their home studio, and one of the tracks that emerged, "The Drinker," was named Best Unreleased Song of 2001 by the New Zealand radio outlet bNet. The band earned a similar accolade in 2002, when "Blue Summer" became the year's most-played song on New Zealand independent radio. They soon booked time with producer Lee Prebble to record their debut album, Horsepower. Released in 2003, it was a major critical success in New Zealand, and the following year, the album was released in Australia, where the band again earned enthusiastic reviews. In 2005, Hansen left and Warner Emery stepped in on bass. The Phoenix Foundation also recorded and released their second album, Pegasus, and supported it with extensive touring in New Zealand and Australia, including a well-received spot at the Aussie Big Day Out Festival and a sold-out hometown gig at the Wellington Botanical Gardens.
In 2006, the group's own Caravan Records label established an American branch to release Horsepower in the United States; the band also came to America for the first time to play a few East Coast shows. They began scoring for films, with Eagle vs. Shark released in June of 2007, followed that same year by their third studio album, Happy Ending. Their fourth LP, Buffalo, arrived in 2010, and shortly thereafter, they signed with British label Memphis Industries, which gave Buffalo a worldwide release. The year 2010 saw the premiere of the movie Boy, for which the band wrote and performed the score. Recording at Neil Finn's Roundhead Studios, they delivered the ambitious double-album Fandango in 2013. Sporting a new member in drummer Chris O'Connor, the Phoenix Foundation released their rhythm- and synth-heavy sixth album Give Up Your Dreams in the summer of 2015. Members of the band wrote the score for Taika Waititi's 2016 comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople under the alias Moniker. 2020's Friend Ship found the group recording most of the material in their home studios while using orchestral arrangements for their more ambitious compositions. Singer and songwriter Nadia Reid guested on the song "Hounds of Hell."
© Mark Deming /TiVo
Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Buffalo (10 Year Anniversary Edition)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand Limited on 5 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Give Up Your Dreams
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand Limited on 7 Aug 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Life Boat (EP)
Pop - Released by Universal Music New Zealand Limited on 23 Feb 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Friend Ship
Pop - Released by Universal Music New Zealand Limited on 16 Oct 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pegasus
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand Limited on 3 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Happy Ending
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand Limited on 3 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Horse Power
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand & Australia (Distribution) on 19 Aug 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fandango
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand & Australia (Distribution) on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tom's Lunch
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand Limited on 16 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fandango
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand & Australia (Distribution) on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Horse Power (Live)
Alternative & Indie - Released by THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION (WGTN) LIMITED on 17 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Merry Kriskmass - EP
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand Limited on 1 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Buffalo
Alternative & Indie - Released by Universal Music New Zealand & Australia (Distribution) on 1 Jan 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Split
The Gifthorse, The Phoenix Foundation
Alternative & Indie - Released by Poison City Records on 15 Nov 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo