Phantogram – Eyelid Movies

February 25, 2010 in Album Reviews

Saratoga Springs, NY electronic duo Phantogram, who have been making waves all over the blogosphere lately as well at venues all over North America and who have opened for the likes of Zero 7, Yeasayer and Minus The Bear have finally delivered their captivating and mesmerizing debut; Eyelid Movies (Barsuk Records). Although they are only two, guitarist Josh Carter and keyboardist Sarah Barthel have created a sound as full and satisfying as a five piece band using only a few instruments and some electronic elements. Although the album on a whole is electronic pop, the direction sometimes drifts into an incredibly pleasant mix of trip-hop, psychedelic, and even hip-hop.

Barthel’s angelic, sweet and addictive voice is one of the things that make this album as good as it is, especially evident on tracks like “When I’m Small” and “Let Me Go”. We get some deep, grimy beats on “Running From The Cops”, as a rather shaky-sounding Josh Carter takes the reins vocally. “Turn It Off” is an upbeat, dreamy tune with the Barthel and Carter’s vocals intertwining beautifully as they do quite often on this album. On “As Far As I can See” the duo chop up some samples revealing their love for hip-hop and old school funk. The album’s closing track, “10,000 Claps” veers off in a completely different direction, slowing things down to a crawl. But as Sarah softly sings about 10,000 cats and 10,000 rats and all sorts of other randomness you begin to realize that this is the perfect way to end this completely brilliant album.

Eyelid Movies is one of those emotional rollercoaster albums, which are perfect for listening in a range of situations, suiting whatever your needs may be. With a sort of nightmarish feel to it, reminiscent of Fever Ray, this album would be perfect for the darker moments in life. But at the same time this album really gets the blood flowing; making it perfect for those endorphin-high summer runs. Even with the range in style, the album flows as effortlessly and naturally as a river, with everything is in it’s right place. Both the production and arrangements are worthy of all the hype; a job well done. Keep your eyes on these guys, you won’t wanna miss them! – Amelia Robitaille

Key Tracks: “Let Me Go”, “Bloody Palms” and “Futuristic Casket”