Phantogram - Three

Phantogram are an American band formed in 2007 with Josh Carter (vocals, guitar) and Sara Barthel (vocals, piano). The release of their third studio album Three left the fans of their previous work, Eyelid Movies and Voices_,_ disorientated with the sound of it, at the same time attracting, new, more mainstream audience in the picture. The release of You Don’t Get Me High Anymore is definitely the one to blame for the popular sound of the album as well as being rated the sixth on the US Alternative chart.

The band has transformed and some critics were right to notice that the album, in fact, sounds like an array of emotions, however this doesn’t need to be a negative thing. In fact, this album could be worth listening to, due to a such stylistic variety. Ricky Reed, the album producer, who is known for working with Twenty One Pilots, Jessie J and Meghan Trainor has definitely contributed to that pop twist in the album.

Generally, Phantogram are known for composing light electronic music, some aspects of which are still seen in tracks such as Cruel World and Destroyer. Mainstream tracks are, indeed, dominating this album, with songs, such as, previously mentioned, You Don’t Get Me High Anymore, Same Old Blues and Calling All, which has a very strong Miley Cyrus vibe with lyrics: “we all got a little bit of ho in us”. Despite mainly associating with electronic music, the band has expanded their musical style to include alternative rock, using guitar solos and rap verses in Run Run Blood, this song also carries a strong ambiguous political message: “swallow everything you don’t believe / Money for loyalty, that’s how I like it.”

Even if the album left some hard-core indie and electronic fans of the band disappointed it’s definitely not going to do so for a contemporary I-am-open-to-different-styles listener as it has a lot to offer. So, don’t be shy, have a listen and see for yourself!