Some American

a considered opinion | phantogram - eyelid movies

Saratoga Springs, NY must have something going on by night that the rest of us cannot even begin to suspect. Though it is an extremely unfair assumption to make, one hears “Saratoga Springs” or any similarly out-of-the-way locale out there in America, and it is hard to imagine cryptic, compelling electronic music emerging from such a place. But here is Phantogram to prove such assumptions drastically wrong. Though it seems rather incongruous in this global age of Internet and instant availability of everything, the larger metropolises still monopolize the lion’s share of musical talent, but this upstate New York duo demonstrate that, yes, town and country have broadband access, speakers, and ears attuned to what makes for some fantastic music.

The band - keyboardist/vocalist Sarah Barthel and guitarist/vocalist Josh Carter - released a couple of EPs in 2009, generating growing interest with some strong live performances and in particularly on the strength of a pair of excellent songs that kick their new full-length, Eyelid Movies (Barsuk Records) off, “Mouthful of Diamonds” and “When I’m Small”. The former is a slow-burning treat, a dulcet guitar hook snaking its way through squeaky electronics and an unhurried beat, tempered by Barthel’s opaque yet resigned lyrics. A song deserving of a much wider audience. “When I’m Small” points to the band’s gloomier influences, though they never let it unravel too far into despondency. When Barthel sings, “I’d rather die, than to be with you,” the mood is leavened by thumping beat and a thuggish bass line which keep hips moving. That dynamic is the band’s strong suit and runs strongly through most of the songs on this record.

Their influences can be heard quite clearly in many places. “Futuristic Casket” opens like a Danger Mouse creation, before Carter begins wailing through a wall of distortion, à la Chino Moreno. The most obvious point of reference across the album would be Portishead - with a generous helping of J Dilla -  as Phantogram often sound like they rose from the same dirty but chic city streets, punctuating their songs with similarly thumping 90s trip-hop beats.

The duo do not delve into the same murky depths, though, as they tend toward the more accessible. Carter’s and particularly Barthel’s sweetly hushed vocals temper such melancholy, despite the subject matter of scorned lovers and the more pitiless realities of the world. Their pop sensibilities and ear for a hook are never buried too deeply: “As Far As I Can See” exemplifies the poppier, more shoe-gazing side of their songwriting - it is a burst of sunshine pop dead center in the album, dreamy guitar and staccato samples of horns laid over a treacly beat, yet Barthel blithely claims, “As far as I can see, nobody loves me… as far as I can tell, nobody loves you with her.”

The album is uneven - some songs (“All Dried Up”, “You Are The Ocean…”) rather melt away without ever really going anywhere or finding that sweet spot of hook, beat, and mood. But when Barthel and Carter do find it, the results - such as “Running From The Cops” - are excellent: brooding, nocturnal songs blending buoyant guitar parts with washes of synths and samples, both fuzzy and vibrant, all of it eminently danceable, ideally by oneself in the dark.

Some American RECOMMENDS Phantogram - Eyelid Movies