Album Review: Phantogram Brings Mischief To Music In “Three”

Phantogram’s Joshua Carter and Sarah Barthel comesoff like a duo of pop mischief. While pop music rises in the the idea of innocence, it is intriguing to hear the electric playfulness of Phantogram. Musically, they encompass the youthfulness and edge-teetering sound that has been the staple of every pop generation in there new record Three, which comes out October 7. 

Three is dream pop laced with a freedom for inhibitions. The bass beats throughout each track is 100% meant for the club, and I love it. Phantogram has made an album made for the Club DJ with each being one hype a crowd enough to utter the classic nightlife phrase “This Is My Song!”. Yet, that is the goal of Phantogram. To stir in listeners the sense of invincibility, freedom, and joy that comes when you put on your outfit and walk from club to club like a superhero that is owning his or her power. Yet, what makes this album distinct and surprisingly powerful is that it is a record for those that wish to analyze what is blocking their empowerment.

//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.jsWhether it be owning your physical desires, emotional insecurities, or mental delusions, there is always something inside us that manifests to overpower us on the outside, as well. Lyrically, Phantogram’s Three should not be underestimated for its confrontation of the many elements, from our relationships with ourselves to others, over why, as humanity, we refuse to wear our vulnerabilities on our skin. Phantogram promotes openness to our darkness as method to elevate and transform it into our lightness. which I think is brilliant. You cannot dance the night away and feel alive, if inside you beat yourself or degrade your being, which is Sarah Barthel’s voice  oozes a feminine mystique that summons both women and Millennial empowerment. For Phantogram, if being “bad” means being free and in love with life, then society needs to re-analyze itself. Dancing, laughing, drinking are not sins, but if they are this album makes you want to commit them immediately.

Favorite Tracks:

Cruel World: the rhythm of this song literally enters your blood as it captures overtime a person has sworn to withdraw from the world. We all have had moments where we proclaimed the world was too cruel and we were walking away from it. 

Run Run Blood: sound like a virtual cauldron of music. Synthetic sounds bubble and swirl to draw a dark potion of love and mistrust. As Barthel sings repeatedly, “there are lions in here, you feel as if you are being mind-controlled. Barthel used repetition of catchy phrases as a “secret weapon” to making both this song and the record vastly applying. Nothing like seedily concocted verse in loop to make listeners …. well…. listen.

Calling All: will leave mouths dropping not because it has the most infectious kick-drum,. but because of the lyric “We all got a little bit of ho in us.”This song is the right amount of crass to get a strong point across; sexual desire is something all carry and none should judge: both men and women. Certain words can put the conservative in a stir, but Phantogram uses hints of shock value to send messages of  body and spiritual beauty.

Three comes off as an ode to owning your life, and thus power. When you are young you have the right to grow and have fun, which is the heart of Three‘s goal: to remind listeners that life is not simply a journey, but exploration of one’s self. Moreover, why not explore life with some good music! By far this album, is one of the best Trip Hop/ Electronica records of 2016. It captures the rambunctious synth-rhythms these genres are known for through hooks and melodies that makes you want shake like you are the physical embodiment of an earthquake. Add on, Barthel’s vocal mix of sultry and strong, and Three is a must-buy for those in need of a party soundtrack. For more information on Phantogram of to buy three on October 7 Click Here.