Phantogram

Alright, so I caved in and bought Phantogram's Voices a whiles back. Though, I'd like to say that I've outdone the Mainstream by going out of my way by also getting ahold of their debut album, Eyelid Movies, but something tells me that won't fly with the indie folk. 

Voices... where to begin? When I bought this album, the only song that I knew from them was Fall in Love (the third track in the LP), since that's the only song on the radio at the moment. I also stumbled a brief (yet thorough) review of this album in an Los Angeles Times article, stating how this LP builds upon their unique sound, structure, and strengths as a duo, while also addressing some of their weaknesses that were prevalent in Eyelid Movies, their first album. It was enough to put them on my radar, and when this LP was released, I went on a scavenger hunt to find it (I had to go through three music stores before I actually found this CD). Since I've never listened to them and the only song I was familiar with was Fall in Love, it took me some to be familiar with this album, since Fall in Love is perhaps the most radio-friendly song (although Bill Murray and Celebrating Nothing are can be radio-friendly also). The sound from this album (and perhaps Eyelid Movies also) are reminiscent of underground trip-hop movement of the 90's, while also blending in hints of electronica (think of The Sneaker Pimp's Becoming X, to some extent). When compared to Eyelid Movies, Sarah's voice is more prominent and powerful, making her vocal presence known (whereas she seemed to coyly whisper throughout Eyelid Movies). Of all the songs in Voices, perhaps the one that I'm inexorably attracted to the most would be I Don't Blame You (the ninth track in the LP). The beginning of the song caught me off guard, since it sounded like a man screaming, but once you get past that, the song is actually quite intriguing. There seem to be intervals of layers of sounds (sampled from God-knows-where) that compliment the looping drum tracking. While Josh is the weaker vocalist of the duo, his voice feels at home here and I don't think the song would be the same if Sarah was the one who sung in this track. Below is the song itself so you can hear the intricate layers of sound in the intervals I was talking about.

I accidentally stumbled across this album at a Best Buy, when I bought my MacBook Pro (more on that later). I impulsively bought this CD, since I figure it'll a very good while since I'll see this album on the shelves again. Compared to Voices, this album has a completely different feel to it, but I can't really describe the differences. As I mentioned earlier, Sarah's vocals are less powerful here, as though she is whispering loudly than singing her heart out. Mind you, this isn't bad at all and may have been her intention in the first place, since this LP is slightly more ambient than their sophomore album. Josh also has a more prominent singing role here, but since he's the weaker vocalist of the duo, he stepped back from the mic in Voices to let Sarah take control. I'm still in the middle of digesting this album, so I really don't have much to say at the moment other than it's quite an enjoyable listen. and its ambient soundscapes feel like you're dreaming...only you're not, of course. It draws you in and keeps you engaged until the very end of the LP, only to realize that the virtual dream was over way too soon. Like Voices, there is a song in the track list that I find infectious. It's called As Far As I Can See. When I first heard this song, its glitchy intro made me think that my disc was scratched. However, this glitchy intro (which loops indefinitely through the song) was what enticed me the most, since it's been quite some time since I've heard something so unique. Furthermore, Sarah's sultry vocals really add to the atmosphere of the song and the looping drumming track complements the glitchy loop perfectly. This may be my most favorite track in the entire album. Below is the mesmeric video for the song. Enjoy!