Jayvee Music Reviews with Jeff Vallet

Can a band working in relative isolation craft music that resonates with listeners around the world?

Can that band and its music evolve and connect with an ever widening audience without sacrificing quality or compromising integrity?

When you are talking about a band like Phantogram, that answer is a resounding yes! And the proof is in their latest release, Voices.

The new album is an attention-getter. It has all the combinations of a hit record. Hazy, dream-pop, dark atmospheres – and rhythms, lots of head-knocking rhythms – are what make this one a must-have.

The opener “Nothing But Trouble,” contrasts waves of distortion with Sarah Barthal’s beguiling soprano, underpinned by Josh Carter’s gritty urban beats. Moments later, the staccato vocal hook and layered rhythms of “Black Out Days” drive the listener deep into a fever dream of echo and atmospherics. These songs are intense!

Lead single “Fall In Love” emphasizes its sly hooks via contrasting dynamics, with quiet snippets of synthesized strings and isolated vocal passages sprinkled amidst pulsating bass tones and Psycho-worth orchestral stabs. Bluesy vapor-trail guitar lines and a rhythmic buzzing reminiscent of a mad scientist’s laboratory impart the sublime “Bill Murray” with an eerie balance of contemplation and disquiet.

The band has stayed true to what they are and what they do. The result is an album that will be a force to be reckoned with.