Sunday, February 20, 2011

Mouthful of Diamonds

My current music crush is Phantogram, a duo from Saratoga Springs NY consisting of guitarist Josh Carter and keyboardist Sarah Barthel. Their debut album Eyelid Movies originally came out November of 2009, then got reissued in February of 2010 by Barsuk and Ghostly International. Somehow I completely missed them on my usually trusty muso-radar. In December my brother posted his top records of the year, and there was Phantogram. I jumped to the Googles and YouTubes and it became apparent this was a band I needed to hear. Their music is a deft combination of electronics and rock. There are beats aplenty, and boatloads of memorable guitar riffs, all bathed in warm synth. Both sing, sometimes alone, other times in harmony. They mix moments of deep psychedelia with lush pop and even a bit of shoegaze-y goodness. I love 'em. The cool performance clip is from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - featuring ?love on drums! Then listen to a great remix by Alan Wilkis which turns the song into a pop-tastic dancefloor track. Then check out the cover by fellow New Yorker John Brodeur, which he recorded in honor of his friends' TV debut.

Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds (Alan Wilkis Remix)

John Brodeur - Mouthful of Diamonds

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