Album Review: Phantogram - Voices

Phantogram
Voices
Rating: Grrrr

New York duo Phantogram's debut record, 2009's Eyelid Movies, was almost a perfect amalgam of electronica, trip-hop, and synthpop, with hints of hip-hop inflected rhythms. Relentless touring and rabid word of mouth increased their popularity but made them wary of coming out too soon with their sophomore record. While they whet appetites with two well received EPs, including, for me, their best work on Nightlife, and collaborations with Flaming Lips and Big Boi, they still only teased out when the new record would emerge. Finally, after much anticipation, they release their major label debutVoices, produced by John Hill (P!nk, Rihanna, Santigold). While the rough edges of Eyelid Movies are jettisoned in favor of a bigger, more high glossed sound, Voices still retains the edgy charm that works so well for the band.

Voices starts off with a triple punch of hot singles. "Nothing But Trouble" pulses and throbs with dense, buzzy synths, brittle guitars, punchy drum programming, and the inimitable coo of singer Sarah Barthel.



"Black Out Days," which was also included on their recent self-titled EP, is another dark, synth-heavy track that is enlivened by Barthal's delirious "eh eh eh"'s in the chorus.



And the hip-hop inspired beats of new single "Fall In Love" speak to their collaborations with Big Boi on his last record Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors.



While Josh Carter is a brilliant guitarist on Phantogram's records, his voice still remains the band's one weakness. Another holdover from their last EP, "Never Going Home," resurfaces here and still flounders with a limp melody and bland vocal turn. However, Carter redeems himself handily on the gorgeous track "I Don't Blame You," his wavering voice perfectly suited for the love gone wrong track. His quivering delivery of the last lines "I should have stayed in bed/I should have took your call" resonates long after the track ends.



Wisely, Carter lets Barthel do most of the heavy lifting vocal-wise on Voices, and she is more than up for the task. Whether she is showing restraint, as on the masterful, slow-burning closing track "My Only Friend,"



charging forward on the rushing swirls of synths and guitars on "Celebrating Nothing,"



or scaling things back to an almost whisper on the mournful "Bill Murray,"



Barthel is always in complete control.

The long wait in between albums was well worth it for Phantogram fans as Voices takes from Eyelid Movies and makes things bigger, glossier, and punchier. While some may bemoan the lack of edgier tracks like Eyelid Movies' tracks like "Bloody Palms" and "Running From The Cops," there is more consistency and purpose here on these tracks. Phantogram still puts out some killer singles, but they all work together on Voices for the greater good.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Phantogram: Nightlife - Album Review

Phantogram
Nightlife EP
Rating: Grrrr

After touring relentlessly for the past two years in support of their debut album Eyelid Movies, New York duo Phantogram (Sarah Bartel on vocals/keyboards and Josh Carter on vocals/guitars) have returned with the 6 track EP Nightlife. There is no drastic change to their trip-hop inspired electro-pop, which they have deemed "street beat, psych pop." Street beat is sort of an apropos name to describe their sound, as it easily could be a soundtrack to late night taxi rides in Manhattan; gritty, over-saturated, world-weary. While the sound has not changed much, what has changed is the focus and breadth of the tracks. No longer does it just feel like the work of two people. There are so many details lurking within these tracks, that are revealed slowly over multiple listens.

The sound drops out continuously on "Turning Into Stone," which then erupts back into pure moments of cinematic bliss. The keyboards and drums engaging each other to almost overtake the sardonic vocal of Carter. The songs here are not typical verse/chorus verse; changing things constantly, going where the track begs to be taken.



"Don't Move" is a true highlight of the EP, beginning with an amazing mix of clipped vocal and horn samples, buzzing synths, and dense programming, cutting out sharply to let Bartel's angelic vocals hit front and center, building the sounds back into the strong force it is. The track is a breathtaking display of taking a ton of elements and mixing them perfectly, never overwhelming the listener; knowing when to just drop everything out and let silence work.



Not every track is full of competing sounds, "16 Years" is classic Phantogram, skyscraping melodies and beautiful vocals, Carter's guitar buzzing in and out of the whirl of synths and drum machines.



Air raid sirens punctuate the throbbing, pulsating "A Dark Tunnel" which is the one track that shows a more brutal side to the band. Carter half screaming/shouting the lyrics, discordant percussion and synth stabs, until Bartel plays good cop to Carter's bad, adding her gorgeous vocals as a calming effect, before the noise hits the roof again. The track shows a definite Suicide influence, but marries it well within the Phantogram aesthetic.



"Nightlife" is a nice change of pace from the production onslaught. Lovely acoustic guitars provide the bed for Bartel's sweet, world weary sounding voice, slowly adding sparkling synths and glitchy drum programming and swirling horns.



"Make a Fist" is the only slight disappointment of the record, holding a little too closely to the Phantogram of Eyelid Movies, and sounding like a B-side that didn't make the original cut. But this EP shows that Phantogram are willing to improve on their sound and take small chances that in this case, work extremely well. They were able to focus on their strengths and put out a fabulous teaser for the second album, which now goes on the list for most anticipated sophomore album.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.