If it’s true that records are capable of ‘growing’ on a listener then Eyelid Movies has taken root like Ivy in my shoes and proceeded to envelop me from head to toe. I approached this album with a mixed set of preconceptions, firstly I’d read various articles around that described Phantograms music as ‘Electro-Pop’ – a genre labelling that currently turns my stomach for some reason (Ke$ha) – but on the other hand I thought that since it was coming out on Barsuk / BBE then it had to be worth a sniff.
I was fairly impressed upon first listen, there’s everything I love on this record, at times the production is flawless and sparkling and then it’ll switch to some grimey lo-fi effort. It feels like a perfect amalgamation of old and new, urban and suburban. There’s a seamless integration of electronic sounds, hip hop beats, ambient spaced-out synths and funk filled bass. My favorite is the Dilla inspired ‘As far as I can see” that brings out a snare that Premo would be proud of and a sample normally found in a Just Blaze beat. It’s at this point I wish I could set up Google Alerts to notify me of every occasion somebody labels this album as electro pop so I can make it my lifes goal to hunt them down and feed them Ke$ha CD’s until they contract stupid idiot slag face disease and have to be quarantined in OC or E! Channel or wherever the fuck they put all them menks.
Conclusion = Album of the Week
Listen on Spotify
Phantogram – When I’m Small
Phantogram – As Far As I Can See
