My favorite musicians on the planet have dropped yet another masterpiece. With their unparalleled honesty and consistency, these are the artists I can always relate to, and they prove the “quality over quantity” theory time and time again. Where do I even begin with Phantogram? I’ll spare you the lengthy version of our seven-year love affair and get right to it.
Whether you know their name or not – you’ve heard their music. Their high-energy, repetitive hooks and melodies – set to hard-hitting beats with soulful samples – have become synonymous with this New York duo. Their originality, lyricism, and consistency is what makes them my fave band and I can always count on any song I hear being “my new favorite song”.
Their first three LPs/EPs were absolutely amazing -front to back with every song’s production being ridiculously clean. I’ve seen them live more than any other artist I listen to (with my first time being September 29, 2010 in Atlanta at The Drunken Unicorn), and was truly on the edge of my seat awaiting the release of Three.
(A few clips I took of their 2011 set at Masquerade in Atlanta)
Three arrived on October 7 with a dark, ominous tone that was in stark contrast to their summer #festivalkillers tour circuit with Big Boi-backed side project – Big Grams.
In the wake of abrupt, personal tragedy (the passing of Sarah’s sister), to no surprise the duo took us deeper into their lives, expressed their pain through the music, and continued to be an open-book with their listeners about the unfortunate circumstances. The weight of reality translated directly into their visuals, vocals, and live performances – thus continuing to bring us in closer with their truth.