This past week is probably the first time I gave Phantom Planet's 2004 self-titled album a thorough listen (plus the tons that followed), despite owning it since the day it was released. That's a shame. The album marks a fairly drastic sound in the band's sound, which up to that point had been fairly confectionary and harmless pop-rock, well-crafted though it was, which probably explains why I skipped over a ton of tracks when I first purchased it. From the album's opening track, "The Happy Ending," which sounds anything but happy, a raw and blistering tone and pace are set, and for once, it seems the guys in the band are worried about something other than that cute girl who doesn't notice them on the other side of their English class (as awesome as those songs were/still are). It's a pretty dark album. You'd never guess Alex Greenwald had all that angry gruffness in his voice, but he pulls it off well, definitely convincingly. One of the album's other stand-outs for me is "By The Bed," one of the best break-up songs I can think of (besides my #1 choice, Cat Power's "Good Woman"), which starts with bare vocals and a slow guitar rhythm and works into a frenzy of a chorus. Definitely a better progression than one would expect from the band, one they'll hopefully continue in their long-awaited, long-delayed follow-up.
LISTEN:
"The Happy Ending" [MP3]
"By The Bed" [MP3]
ON THE WEB:
Phantom Planet's website
Phantom Planet's MySpace (+ new blog)
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2 comments:
I was just listening to this at work the other day. By the Bed is indeed badass.
Agreed, thanks for the song :)
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