Phantogram - Voices

Phantogram
Voices
18 February 2014
Republic

4 stars out of 5

 

Voices is the somewhat delayed second LP of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter, a New York duo that records under the name Phantogram. Their keyboard and guitar approach to minimalist pop music makes for some catchy tuneage on this album which, while never attaining any ecstatic heights, keeps delivering the goods in a timely and efficient manner. (Sorry—I’ve been spending too much time in warehouses lately.)

The opening track, “Nothing But Trouble,” is a trip-hop/guitar freak out bastard child. Barthel’s vocals and Carter’s unstoppable guitar madness propel the song into something special. “Fall in Love” is a gritty, angular pop song, with Barthel’s keyboards taking up alllll the bottom end while her vocals evoke Sarah Cracknell. Carter takes a turn at singing on “Never Going Home,” an introspective mid-tempo piece. “Strange it didn’t affect me,” sings Barthel on “The Day You Died,” a new wave sing-along with a properly post-punk guitar riff. “Howling at the Moon” features some interesting vocal exercises, with Barthel’s delivery almost like an MC, exaggerating her spacing and employing unexpected emphases. “Bad dreams never affect” Barthel either, or so she claims on “Bad Dreams.” Her urgent, breathless delivery would indicate that her unemotional pretentions are a smoke screen.

While I admit that I’m a sucker for this kind of music in general, this one really is a keeper. There’s a bit of drag on the home stretch, but enough wind in the rest of the songs to propel it along very nicely. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another four and a half years for LP #3.

reviewed by Richard Krueger