I have been listening to a lot of great music lately, but still, somehow haven't come across Phantogram. They release their Ep, Nightlife. The duo consists of Josh Carter on guitar and vocals and Sarah Barthel on keyboards and vocals. The band formed in 2007. Funny thing about them is they write and record in a remote barn in upstate New York. They refer to it as Harmony Lodge. The band was inspired by the optical illusion known as phantogram, a 2D image that is distorted in a particular way, from a vantage point looks three dimensional. Both Josh and Sarah have been friends since junior high. Earlier on they toured under the name Charlie Everywhere, but later changed the name to Phantogram when they signed with BBE on January 26, 2009. Now on November 1, 2011 Phantogram will release the Nightlife Ep.#nextinshow brings you an exclusive review. You can't pass on this album or this review.
16 Years is a synthesized indie pop record that stands strong as the mini-Lp's opening track. "16 years on the counterculture" is represented throughout the song. Sarah plays this song great live. Don't Move is track 2 and the first official single from the Ep. Melodic mpc chops make up the beat. A catchy electro-pop sound that could easily be found on your favorite indie radio station. Sarah adds great vocals at the perfect times to make this record stand out.
Turn into Stone almost immediately comes off as a radiohead inspired electro-synth pop record. The digital hi hat best represents the new direction Phantogram has taken. It wasn't long ago that their debut Lp Eyelid Movies, consisted of more subtle music that favored trip hop and darker music. Make a Fist kicks off with a trip hop drum beat, followed by more digital drums and an almost appreciated guitar strum. Once again Sarah Barthel's vocals go just perfect with this song. The kind of voice that gives you goosebumps. The last two minutes of the song get epic. Turn your volume up a few notches.
When i first imported this album onto my itunes, Nightlife was the first song that played. This is also my pick for hottest track on Nightlife Ep. It is a more mellow record, but again Sarah brings comfort to the song. The final track is entitled Dark Tunnel. It is a bit more uptempo and sounds more like a synth rock record. It feels like a good vs evil record. Josh provides vocals on this track, which was suprising, but after Sarah blessed the chorus, everything was in it's right place again.
Check out the Nightlife Ep by Phantogram on November 1st. It will bring joy to your life.
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