At their inception, Phantogram’s sound seemed innovative. In the four years that have passed since they released their debut, however, their sound has become precedent: Poliça, Purity Ring, CHVRCHES, and a slew of other acts have released records worth of material reminiscent of what the duo was spinning back in 2010.

As a whole, Phantogram’s follow-up, Voices, is also reminiscent of what they were spinning back in 2010. Like Eyelid Movies, the record puts atmosphere on a pedestal and plays host to 11 night-styled explorations of love and loss sang over booming basses and guitar loops.

While a lot of the record is quite good, my major qualm with Voices is that its songs hold tighter to their four minute, verse-chorus-verse structures than whatever’s got a hold of Vanilla Ice — and that a lot of the songs sound pretty familiar, even for Phantogram.

As they say, “no risks, no rewards.” And, unfortunately, most of Voices merely comes across as a more refined — and less risky — construction of their earlier sound. 

Phantogram
Voices
Playlist Picks: "Fall in Love," "I Don't Blame You," "Howling at the Moon"
Cohesiveness85%
Recognition Factor90%
Realization that “Bill Murray” isn’t about Billy Murray0%
70%Overall

About The Author

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Andrew Brandt is the albums editor for Jonk Music and a former senior writer. He has also contributed to Pretty Much Amazing, Turntable Kitchen and Isthmus. Andrew eats Roma® Original Pizzas like they’re giant cookies.