I got an email just now announcing that the first song -- 1901 -- from Phoenix's upcoming record Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is now available for download...free!

I have to admit, I'm really nervous to listen to it. I loved their earlier stuff so much that there's a huge chance I'll be somewhat disappointed. In case you were sleeping, Phoenix were a huge hit a few years ago with their infectiously poppy indie tracks.

Phoenix is a French alternative rock band started during their childhood by Thomas Mars, Deck D'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz in the affluent suburb of Versailles, in the same culture that produced late-90s bands such as Air and Daft Punk.

The name Phoenix was officially chosen in 1996 when Laurent Brancowitz permanently joined the band after the end of the short-lived band Darlin' he formed with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who eventually became Daft Punk.

I now realize I knew very little about the band until today. One of my all-time favorite songs -- Air's Kelly Watch the Stars -- had Phoenix as the back up band before they'd officially formed as Phoenix. Watch the video for that song here.

Read their full Wiki here. Make sure to go to their official site, where you can download 1901 and don't forget to check out their MySpace, where you can listen to a handful of tracks from previous records and watch videos.

What do I think of the track? The jury's out. I like it. I wasn't bowled over, but that's okay. It's a great song.