Phantogram
Feb 23, 2014
In an era defined by never quite knowing how popular a given music artist is, the amount of data there is to pull from is staggering. Sometimes it's just the little things, like the way a friend reacts when you tell him about your upcoming interview with a band, or the way an artist orders lunch from their major label representative. For Phantogram, their current hit radio single and their Republic Records debut are blinking, electric signifiers, but the subtle details are what tell you where the band is in its own head. Today, they are a Cobb salad band. They are a side of brussel sprouts.
Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel have known each other for 18 years and speak of a practically psychic energy when they make music, with the project rarely needing to see its core compromise because they are of the same mind. They don't view their major label jump, after previously being affiliated with Barsuk, as a compromise either.
Phantogram's second full-length LP, Voices, attests to this, though it is also clear that the duo has risen to the challenge that more ears and more opportunities present. Three singles from the collection have been released before the album has even come out, and the LP has more where that came from. Complicated and busy-sounding, the album also displays pin-point precision, with every sound and grimy electronic flourish meticulously placed. Phantogram has not taken its opportunity lightly, and it shows.
The band puts its money where its mouth is, emphasizing shorter, more frequent releases rather than the imminent Voices, a rare LP for them. "I think we have a lot to offer to people that don't get to hear more unique bands," Carter says. "It is sort of our duty to pave our way as a band."
Whichever metric the band uses to measure its accomplishments, the Phantogram explosion may just be beginning-in L.A., their sold-out concert was recently moved to a venue double its size, the 4,000-person Palladium, and sold out once again-and people might see the band's workmanlike attitude as a reflection of its standing. But some people are just better suited to increased attention, and Phantogram seems content on playing it smart when in comes to career and delivering fully when writing songs. Their success is heard through song, not through interviews.