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Rarely do we see a band whose members are still living
with Mom and Dad (Britney Spears and NSYNC are of no
relevance) deliver an album with so much comprehensive
substance. The second release, The Guest, from Southern
California’s Phantom Planet has been hailed by critics
and embraced by fans. The first single, California,
has slowly been gaining substantial airplay on radio
stations across the country, and the accompanying video
has just made its way onto MTV’s rotation by way of
public demand.
 Named
after 1960’s B Sci-Fi movie, Phantom Planet formed in
1994 while all members were still in high school. The
Hollywood quintet, which consists of Jacques Brauther
(guitar), Sam Farrar (bass), Alex Greenwald (vocals/guitar),
Darren Robinson (guitar), and Jason Schwartzman (drums),
made their first major debut release, Phantom Planet
Is Missing, on Geffen in 1998. While the record was
well received by critics, it failed to capture mass
appeal, and sales were not as ample as other adolescent
bands such as Silverchair and Eve 6. Walking a fine-line
between Pop and Alternative, the recording was fun,
upbeat, playful and had youthful exuberance, yet was
immediately compared to Weezer. “We formed the year
Weezer's first record came out. As you can imagine,
it along with other bands like STP, Nirvana and Smashing
Pumpkins were influential,” explains guitarist Jacque
Brauther. Bassist Sam Farrar goes on to say, “I love
the first two records they did. For a while, they were
a huge influence on us, so I’m not surprised that people
hear them in us.”
During the band’s four-year absence, the members remained
active with outside projects. Jason stared in such films
as Rushmore (1998) and Slackers (2002). During the new
millennium, Alex spent time modeling and became a familiar
face in the chic GAP commercials. He also played a sociopath
in the black comedy flick Donnie Darko (2001). “We all
got a bit lost but we always played together, rehearsed,
threw parties, stayed close with our friends, and made
it out alive and kicking,” says Farrar about Phantom
Planet’s time off.
In early 2001 the band entered the studio and began
recording The Guest. Now signed to Epic, the Phantom
Planet brought in two highly accomplished producers,
Mitchell Froom (Tom Waits, Crowded House, Elvis Costello,
Paul McCartney) and Tchad Blake (Pearl Jam, Peter Gabriel,
Sheryl Crow) to help them realize their full potential.
When asked what affect the two had on the band, Darren
said, “They are both absolutely brilliant, not to mention
wonderful people. It was an honor to work with Mitchell
and Tchad. They both helped us grow as people and as
musicians by giving us their input, yet letting us do
what we thought was right.” Sam continues, “It just
made us trust the time spent in the studio. There’s
a great deal of pressure to make your money count, to
get the most out of the day, to make sure everything
is perfect. Mitchell and Tchad showed us the importance
of not being perfect. Just capture the moment and you've
succeeded. That’s what I learned at least.”
While The Guest has its pop inflection moments on tracks
such as ‘Always On My Mind’ and ‘Our Darkest Hour’,
as a whole, they are less frequent as on Phantom Planet
Is Missing. When asked about the difference between
the two, “We matured a lot as a band, in regards to
dynamics, to the triple guitar threat. Alex’s writing
has matured a ton as well, as has Jason’s. Other than
that, we're still the same geeks with guitars. We have
grown naturally from our first cd. As Jacques would
say, it's like taking a picture of a kid when he's 15,
and then comparing it to a picture of him when he is
23. There are obvious differences in physical features,
but there are mental differences as well,” explains
Brauther, as Sam goes on to say, “We were 16, 17 years
old when we made the first one. Now we’re in our early
twenties. I think that says it all. New influences,
new favorites, maturity, (although not much), new friends.
Tastes change all the time, continuously.And thank God
for that.”
Combining introspective lyrics and musical variation,
Phantom Planet have matured as musicians and utilize
a variety of textures for a unique timbre. Alex Greenwald
has substantially developed as a songwriter constructing
tunes of self-examination and life experience. Truly
collaboration, he relies on his comrades to make the
songs whole. “Alex did most of the writing for the record.
As a band, he'll bring in the skeleton . . . usually
lyrics, melody and rough arrangement, and we'll add
the meat and bones and flesh and eyes and hair, blah
blah blah. It's a good analogy I think,” explains Farrar.
The commencing and title track is immediate evidence
of this. Opening with a gentle piano and acoustic guitar,
the song builds layer upon layer. It climaxes with a
heavy rock beat as the band constructs a self-portrait
of being on various journeys, only to return home. Even
with ‘Nobodies Fault’, from which the band took the
liberty of borrowing an Elvis Costello and The Attractions
riff, is lyrically pensive. ‘Lonely Day’ is forlorn
and somber, where again; the band builds on the foundation
of a melodic theme to end with a bombastic pinnacle.
Much of this recording has a sorrowful feel to it almost
in the region of a Coldplay vibe. However according
to Sam, the band doesn’t rely heavily on influences
saying, “Coldplay is amazing, a big fan. As for other
influences, and influences in general, it's never a
conscious thing for us. Perhaps it's what was in the
CD player the day we heard that skeleton for that song.
Very possibly Coldplay was in my cd player that day.
Maybe the Beatles, or Travis.”
Phantom Planet just returned from a tour of Europe.
They are briefly supporting Guster on a short outing
before hitting the road with label mates Incubus on
April 29th.
These five young musicians have all the ingredients
to develop into an influential and immensely successful
band. The Guest is a well-rounded recording that could
very well be their catalyst. Like so many of their contemporaries,
these guys aren’t concerned with fame and fortune; they
just want to make music. In the words of Sam Farra,
“We never wanted to be a rock star. Just wanted to play
the Whiskey on the Sunset Strip. Then wanted a record
deal, then wanted to tour. It’s always been one step
at a time for us. Now we just want to see the world,
and see who catches.” It is with this mind-set of “We’re
just going to play our music” that brought Phantom Planet
to this point. It is with this outlook and the group’s
humility, along with their love of music that will launch
Phantom Planet to the next level, Superstardom.
more info:
Phantom
Planet Official Website
Tony Engelhart for Crud Magazine© 2002
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