Once again, we get to reap the benefits of the magic that happens up at “Harmony Lodge.” By magic, I mean the upcoming album, Voices, from Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, better known as Phantogram. The electro-rock duo, longtime friends and bandmates, record their music on a farm outside the quaint town of Saratoga Springs, NY (represent).
The same way Bon Iver’s music is influenced by, and thus embraces, the depths of Wisconsin winters, the vibe of Phantogram exudes what it feels like to live on the rural outskirts of a major metropolitan area, inevitably blending the paces of both areas. Their previous EPs, Nightlife (2011) and Phantogram (2013), struck me because of the conflict their music put me in. Do I want to get up and dance or do I want to relax on the couch with a hot cup of coffee? A very dramatic conflict indeed yet that is this sentiment of the city versus the country that I find in their music, and it comes together yet again in “Fall in Love,” the new single off Voices, which will be released on February 18.
Before the beat drops, the music feels like an accompaniment to a drive through a maple-tree lined road in the country. Close your eyes, you’ll see what I mean. Once the electric pulse is added to the mix along with Sarah Barthel’s psychedelic vocals, you are transported to a dark, hazy, smoky lounge, the kind where you’ll most likely find lust, not love. Then again, before you can figure out which one it is, you are back driving on that country road. The real electricity of Phantogram, and what is to surely be true of Voices, is that their music can transport you to whichever kind of night, or day, you would like to be in — or at least act as a mirage of what you would like to have.