Tag Archives: Phantogram

Poetic Memory: Fitz and the Tantrums (List)

Dont Gotta Work It Out (Live) by Fitz and The Tantrums

By now, Fitz and the Tantrums don’t need much in the way of an introduction. The LA musicians made a big splash last year thanks to their dance-tastic debut, Pickin’ Up The Pieces, and its triumphant mix of soul, pop, and rock. They’ve also earned a reputation for putting on fantastic live shows, and their performance tomorrow at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla should add yet another notch to what’s becoming a very large belt.

Of course, traveling around the world and performing can also involve a lot of downtime. We spoke with fetching vocalist Noelle Scaggs about the songs that keep her inspired on the road. You can check out her genre-hopping list below. Continue reading…

Owl and Bear’s Best Albums of 2010


Owl and Bear writers’ favorite albums of 2010. Continue reading…

Interview: Phantogram

Photos by Eleanore Park

In today’s fickle, post-Pitchfork world, each new band can start to feel like the latest chillwave flavor of the month. In the ambiguous sea of lo-fi turned glo-fi turned back to shoegaze whatever, it is important to give certain bands the distinction they deserve.

Phantogram duo Joshua Carter and Sarah Barthel are a reminder that, behind the indie genre’s similarities, there are subtle but important shifts in influences and backgrounds. Conceived on an isolated farm in Upstate New York, their debut album, Eyelid Movies, is the lovechild of 90’s hip-hop beats and urban dream-pop.

Phantogram have already passed through San Diego twice this year — the first time opening for The Antlers at the Casbah and, more recently, opening for The XX at House of Blues, and we can’t wait for them to come back. We spoke with Sarah Barthel after their House of Blues performance, and we also caught up with her later via email. Continue reading…

Watchlist vol. 6: Phantogram

Once in a great while you hear music that just makes you feel cool.

Every time it comes on, you feel like you should be walking in slow motion, dark shades on, gliding into a room as all eyes fix on you. Maybe you’re wearing an old, black, leather jacket and flicking a cigarette as smoke billows from your mouth.

There are only a handful of groups in recent memory that have given me that feeling: Autolux, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Leonard Cohen, to name a few. And now, thanks to their new album, Eyelid Movies, Phantogram have joined those hallowed ranks. Continue reading…