#25 on the 2014 Bacon Top 31

Voices by Phantogram

When I saw the album at #25 come up in my collected “all albums of 2014” list, I had to do a double take. I could have sworn that this album came out in 2013. But there it is, with a February 2014 release date. It feels like I’ve been listening to Voices by Phantogram for well over a year. It’s just one of those albums that is always there, and always good to listen to. How is it possible it’s not yet even a year old?

An electronic indie-rock duo from Greenwich, New York, Phantogram has been around since 2007. They didn’t really burst onto the scene until 2013, when they collaborated with the likes of Big Boi (Outkast) and the Flaming Lips, and released a self-titled four-song EP that made it onto last year’s Top 31.

Upon rereading that entry from last year, I see I correctly predicted this new album would appear on the Top 31 of 2014. They’re that good. Sarah Barthel plays keyboards and sings lead on most of the songs, and Josh Carter sings backup and plays guitar, taking the lead on a couple songs on the album. It harkens back to eighties synth-pop, but with less cheese. There are some great, singable songs on the album, and I recommend you track it down immediately.

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26. Morning Phase by Beck
27. Hungry Ghosts by OK Go
28. Run the Jewels 2 by Run the Jewels
29. Cosmos by Yellow Ostrich
30. Teeth Dreams by The Hold Steady
31. With Light & With Love by Woods

2009-2013 Top 31s

Phantogram — Fall In Love

The second release from Phantogram, Voices, came out earlier this week, and it is — as expected — phenomenal. Watch the “Fall In Love” video above, fall in love with the band, purchase the album, then catch them live at a location near you.

#22 on the 2013 Musical Bacon Calendar

Phantogram EP by Phantogram

The band here at #22 on the 2013 Musical Bacon Calendar is one of those bands that, when I heard them on the radio I’d say to myself “Man, I really like this song. Who sings this?” and it would almost always be Phantogram. This must have happened at least a dozen times. And even though the band has been putting out music for the last four years, 2013 was the year I started really paying attention.

I had the luxury of seeing the duo from Saratoga Springs, NY, at the amazing Treasure Island Music Festival down in the Bay Area back in October, where they opened for a little band called Atoms for Peace. They must have been super stoked to be there, because they blew everyone away by their light-show hard rock ’n’ roll extravaganza stage presence.

Then, three weeks later I had another opportunity to see them play, headlining one of the five amazing shows Barsuk Records hosted in celebration of the Seattle label’s 15th Anniversary. This time around the band had some extra players with them, and they once again blew us all away. And this was after we had just seen amazing band after amazing band leading up to Phantogram’s headlining slot. (I’d like to see you try and follow Menomena and manage to maintain the audience’s attention.)

While the band hasn’t released a full-length album since 2009’s Eyelid Movies, they’ve continued to keep their fans satiated by releasing four EPs, with the 2nd self-titled EP being the record that came out this year and made the Calendar. Just this evening, about 3 hours ago, the band announced their new full-length album Voices will be released on February 18. I’ve already reserved a slot on the 2014 Musical Bacon Calendar for it.

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23. Julia With Blue Jeans On by Moonface
24. Uncanney Valley by The Dismemberment Plan
25. Event II by Deltron 3030
26. Wise Up Ghost by Elvis Costello and The Roots
27. Us Alone by Hayden
28. Pure Heroine by Lorde
29. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife
30. False Idols by Tricky
31. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart

2012 Musical Bacon Calendar
2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
2009 Musical Bacon Calendar