United

Phoenix came out of the same Versailles scene as Air and Daft Punk, four friends who loved seventies American radio and West Coast soft rock more than anything French. United is their debut: tight, bright guitar pop with disco bones and a singer who delivers everything in fluent, accented English. If I Ever Feel Better became the calling card, a breakup song you can dance to. The album sold modestly at first. The band spent the next decade proving it was ahead of its time.