When we think of French pop, we usually go back to the '60s?Bardot, Jacques Brel, Françoise Hardy. But today we've got Phoenix, France's finest musical export since Gainsbourg. The pop-rock quartet hit the Showbox SoDo on January 23 for a sold-out concert, and put on a flawless performance. Thomas Mars is the ultimate frontman: Charismatic yet humble, intrepid but not obnoxious, he's got an irresistible Gallic charm. Throughout the two-hour set, Mars sang groove-happy hits from the band's 2009 masterpiece Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, ending with a triumphant crowd surf. It was apropos, it was showy, it was epic?the stuff great pop music is made of. ?Erin K. Thompson wearephoenix.com