Ceremony

米ニューヨーク/グリニッチ出身のオルタナティヴ・ロック・デュオ Phantogram、超待望の4thアルバム!

シングル「Pedestal」「In A Spiral」「Into Happiness」収録

After an album that dove headfirst into the pop mainstream and came up feeling a little empty, Phantogram return to form on 2020s Ceremony. Fueled by personal tragedy (the suicide of vocalist Sarah Barthels sister) and a desire to break through the darkness they found themselves buried in, the album has an uplifting, empowering feeling. The songs hit like punches from a heavyweight, with solid rhythms, majestic samples, and fully packed arrangements combining to make swirling backgrounds for Barthel to swoop over like a superhero. Her vocals are somehow more dramatic and powerful than before, and where some of the lyrics on their previous album Three didnt always ring true, here almost everything feels ripped from her soul and splattered across the speakers. Barthel sings like her life depends on it, and the big-sounding, emotionally super-sized songs like In a Spiral and Dear God work as impressive slabs of modern pop and also as an emotional release. The verses pummel and the choruses soar; by the end its easy to feel a little wrung out in a satisfying way. Paired with these stadium-ready songs are a handful that trade swagger for slink -- Mister Impossible rides a booming trip-hop beat and adds nice vocal effects, Let Me Down melds dream and synth pop with a side of belted-out soul -- and heartfelt ballads like the title track that pare back the wall of sound in favor of a more considered, less bombastic approach that suits them well. No matter the mood and variation on their sound, Phantogram prove to be strong at crafting memorable modern pop with some weirdness around the edges, this time with some real emotion behind the glittering facade. Its definitely a step back in the right direction after the last albums stumble and stacks up to be their most consistent and enjoyable record to date. ~ Tim Sendra

ヴィンテージなソウル・ミュージックを思わせるエネルギッシュなサウンドにノックアウト! アンニュイなバラードが大半を占めるものの、ノスタルジックなポップソングとスプーキーなトラックという組み合わせに躍動感が加わったんだから、この男女デュオを従来のドリーム・ポップやトリップ・ホップという言葉だけで語ることはもうできない。前作からの4年間に2人が大きな転機を迎えたことは明らかだ。
bounce (C)山口智男