Sarah Barthel’s voice keeps telling me to “keep your body still” but all this song makes me want to do is dance like I’m in some weird Madonna/Johnny Depp music video. Twisted, maybe, but this song, or rather this whole mini-album (Nightlife) is a subtle hop, skip, and a jump away from Phantogram’s last album Eyelid Movies, and it’s trip-hop tendencies. While definitely familiar in sound to Eyelid Movies, the major difference between the two releases is notably where you’d likely hear them that makes all the difference. For me the first time I heard of Phantogram was fittingly at an Urban Outfitters and “Mouthful of Diamonds” came on. Me and the girl in ripped pink leggings, nose ring, Blondie t-shirt and empty Ray-ban frames both whipped out our smartphones and shazam’d the shit out of that song.
No but this, this is dancehall magic. This is like the lovechild of James Murphy’s tight grooves, DJ Premier’s seemingly flawless sample placement, and Jamie XX’s ideas (only if there was some Gil Scott-Heron in the mix). And as diverse as their sound has become, their audience has too. Since officially forming in 2007, they’ve toured with the likes of The Antlers, The xx, Yeasayer, and Ra Ra Riot, in front of crowds at no-name venues like Lollapalooza, Coachella, and Outside Lands Festival. Certainly a long way from Saratoga Springs, New York.
While some critics may call the release a bit more poppy than the last, I don’t think that it has to do with any label shenanigans but rather a newfound confidence in their second release. They’ve got one solid, solid album under their belts already, and an equally solid fan base to prove it. Their name is synonymous with good music, and this new record will only bring a wider and more willing audience in to take a listen. But don’t take it from me, I’m only the dude who admitted to getting his music from an Urban Outfitters soundtrack.
Sklovnation – I'm diggin' this. Kudos to Urban Outfitters.