Anyone who listens to Phantom Planet’s newest eponymous offering undergoes the same thought process; this is not your father’s—actually, older brother’s might be more appropriate—Phantom Planet. If you’re looking for the same power-pop anthems that drove last year’s release, Guest, including the hit single—and theme song from Fox’s The O.C.—“California,” you had better look elsewhere. This collection has a more edgy, angular feel to it, with garage rock overtones firmly—and loudly—supplanting the band’s previous pop approach.
The closest thing to their previous style is the track “After Hours,” which, not surprisingly, is the most melodic of the bunch—“Well I guess that your parents must have raised themselves/A strictly pious daughter/’Cause you move through this crowd/Just like parting water.” Everything else is a musical sneer, with lead singer Alex Greenwald’s derisive vocals mixing in with distorted bass lines and pounding drums to not only supplant the pop influence, but to seemingly scoff at it. Greenwald sings with such conviction, proving that he’s more than willing to cast off the somewhat stereotypical view of his group’s music, which is sure to delight some of the band’s fans, but completely put off others.
Tracks such as the opener, “Happy Ending,” and mid-album offering “Jabberjaw” typify the lot, with Sam Farrar’s raucous bass providing a head-bobbing backdrop to scathing lyrics and frequently-shouted choruses. The album’s energy peaks in these two songs, but sadly, the others sound remarkably alike. Listening to this album, one gets about midway through then thinks, “OK, I get it; you’ve got a new, tough attitude. What else you got?” Unfortunately, the band responds with more of the same distorted bass and shouted lyrics, such as “You’re always up to no good/Stand back,” off of the cut “Big Brat.”
Any remnants of the bright and melodic songwriting from the previous albums are difficult to find here, with chaos reigning supreme. Rather than providing music to sing along with, the band decided to provide music to pull your hair out to–this is not intended as an insult, mind you, but as a conveyance of the relative rawness of the music.
Fans that enjoyed Phantom Planet for their pop stylings would best be suited to look elsewhere, but those searching for a new, edgy—albeit repetitive—experience should dive enthusiastically into this driven bit of garage rock.
