Phantogram â Eyelid Movies
by Benjamin Adams (Business), published June 28th 2010
Eyelid Movies is the debut album from electronic duo Phantogram. Consisting of keyboardist Sarah Barthel and guitarist Josh Carter, Phantogram adds some serious groove to their melodies. Although the songs are relatively straight forward, Phantogram’s knack for catchy melodies shines through, layering hook over sugar-sweet hook: backup tracks buried deep in the mix would make hit singles for lesser bands. Despite their melodic charms, the tracks all expose a darker undercurrent with repeated listens, with lyrical themes of regret and longing. The vintage horn samples and vinyl hiss add an irresistible groove that you can’t help but want to dance to. Barthel takes singing duties on the first two tracks, showing off her understated vocal charms, reminiscent of Broken Social Scene at points. Carter takes over lead vocals on ‘Turn It Off,’ an upbeat yet dark track that highlights the bands strengths, and the vocal exchange between the kicks in. Some of the album’s best moments are the thick, layered harmonies between the pair. The album is extremely well crafted, perfectly balancing Barthel’s 80′s-influenced keyboard melodies with Carter’s angular guitars. Every sound effect and background noise sounds perfectly in place. The attention to detail really shines through on the faster tracks, where the details add loads of replay value to what could have been just a fun dance number.
This isn’t to say Phantogram isn’t without their shortcomings. The songs start to drag towards the middle of the album, where the songs take an experimental turn. When the band doesn’t put their melodies in the forefront, the songs suffer for it, and tracks like ‘Running from the Cops’ are generally forgettable. The album also ends on a weak note with the ballad ‘10,000 Claps,’ a soft song following the killer closing tracks ‘Futuristic Casket’ and ‘Let Me Go,’ two late album standouts that the group’s dance heavy grooves and vintage samples. After 10 tracks of non-stop dance-ability, the slow close feels out of place. This isn’t to say that the album suffers for it, and the weaker moments are more than outweighed by the bands strengths. Eyelid Movies is definitely an album to listen to, and Phantogram is a young new band to keep an eye on.
Recommended Tracks: Turn It Off, Futuristic Casket, When I’m Small
Rating: 3.4/5
Tracklist
About Phantogram
Phantogram is a trip-hop/psych-pop duo which formed in 2007 in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. The band consists of Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards) and Joshua Carter (guitar, vocals). Their music can be described as a culmination of unique street beat rhythms, psychedelic melodies and organic textures. The band practices and writes music in an out-of-town farm called Harmony Lodge. The group name was inspired by the optical illusion called phantogram.