Review Summary: Next time your at the bar as the girl what she listens too...
Indie Pop sure seems to be a crowded genre these days. And so it should be I guess; Music's a changed beast. The likes of YouTube, purevolume and 8-Tracks DJ-like services giving anyone with the ever more accessible technology of music production the ability to gain exposure. In this modern musical age te Hipsters have flocked to their computers in search of the new sound! It's exciting new waters that everyone seems to be diving headfirst into. It's come to raise a question though, remembering an exchange between two superhero's in the old Disney flick The Incredibles that went something down the lines of 'Saying that everyone is special is just another way of saying no one is.' Bringing it back to Indie Pop, that seems to be just the issue: Everyone's trying so hard to distinguish themselves from one another that they all end up sounding the same. Furthermore, in a bands effort to distinguish itself from it's peers it often drops te fundamental quality of actually being good.
Enter Phantogram's most recent LP Eyelid Movies. And does it end up being just another reason to sigh? I'd actually vouch for it in saying its good. Good for finding its own jive and being memorable, standing out amongst the waves of others. Opening with Mouthful of Diamonds the vibe is immediately set: a great pre-drink pump up for both the girls and guys. This leads through to the vaguely Burst Apart-ish When I'm Small to the truly inspired Running From the Cops. it's not quite what you'd party to in the heat of the night but Stoner's rejoice; it'll work with a gang of friends in any setting.
I don't know if I can totally vouch for the whole album though, it's really about the sweet spots. Turn it Off has its interesting Trip-Hop vibe but falls flat in its melody. All Dried Up feels rich and deep yet at the same time female vocalist Sarah Barthel fails to really draw me in, especially when I've been spending time with Eyelid Movies alongside albums like Fever to Tell and Synthetica as well. She's good, but not quite beyond that 'Great' threshold. It's just an album I find myself coming back to because its contagious and easy for everyone.
There is a bit of depth to dig into with Eyelid Movies, if you want to spend that sort of time with it. You Are the Ocean and I Am Good as well as 10000 claps grab your attention right when you think your going to dismiss the whole. Bloody Palms will bring you right back to the mood of Mouthful of Diamonds, keeping the album cohesive. Phantogram succeeds in finding an intersection between alternative vibes infused with electronica. It may be all a part of the trend but 2013 has been, musically, an exciting year so far.
Eyelid Movies fails to invigorate any of its infused genres with new life but it succeeds in providing a quality feel-good experience. The kind of album you show a stranger to get them to like you. At the end of the day too it's hard to knock any album for anything if the bottom line is it being good. And so ill let it rest, check it out if your into that sort of thing, it's pretty good.
