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By Andy Argyrakis Back From the Dead Four years is an eternity to wait in between albums, especially in the iPod and MySpace age where attention spans last about as long as a three-minute radio single. While the ever-evolving Phantom Planet certainly didn’t intend that long of a break between 2004’s self-titled album on Epic and the new Raise the Dead on indie Fueled By Ramen, the time frame actually worked to the group’s advantage. “There are all these really young teenagers with ears wide open, excited to hear some new music,” says bassist Sam Farrar. “There are probably some kids we’re meeting on tour for the first time that probably weren’t even born when we first got together 14 years ago! The industry’s been really crazy over the last five or six years with all our friends at Epic either getting fired or leaving, sales from CDs dropping like crazy and sites like MySpace and Facebook taking over everything. It’s been an interesting ride, but I think something new is about to break.” Farrar goes on to envision the demise of major labels all together, citing recent corporate emancipations by Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and Madonna. He looks to the band’s current home as a much more organic approach to all angles of the musical landscape, and one that allows the band to get much closer to listeners. “First of all, it’s interesting because I always assumed Fueled By Ramen was a pop-punk label,” he recalls. “Now they’re much more than that in terms of variety, but — more than any other label — they have this cult-like following of kids who will buy everything they put out. Our meetings [with Epic] were always so fancy and suit and tie-like, but it’s not like that at all now. Everybody’s really down to earth and it’s about touring, working hard and getting in touch directly with fans.” Those who’ve been following the band since the very beginning can attest to a continuously shifting sonic aesthetic, which ranges from shiny West Coast rock (tied mostly to 2002’s smash “California,” also the theme song for The O.C. ) to garage rock, to a 1960s/’70s retro throwback on Raise the Dead. Tracks like “Leave Yourself For Somebody Else” and “Too Much Too Often” sound like modern day incarnations of British Invasion innovators The Zombies or The Kinks, “Ship Lost At Sea” mirrors the glam-tipped T. Rex, while “Do the Panic” sounds straight out of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust era. “I’m hoping our disc will lead kids to check out The Zombies, The Animals or The Turtles and find out what those bands have to offer and why they inspired us,” Farrar says. Phantom Planet’s musical strides, not to mention longevity, do seem to go against the odds, especially considering the band earned its earliest headlines from actor/then-drummer Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore, Slackers). As a co-founding member, his 2003 resignation came as quite a blow to the band, though Farrar’s continuation with frontman Alex Greenwald, guitarist Darren Robinson and skin slapper Jeff Conrad proved Phantom Planet was much more than merely a Hollywood novelty. “It was like having two lead singers in the band and I think [Schwartzman’s] and Alex’s egos and styles of writing were too much of a conflict, plus he wanted to focus more on acting,” remembers Farrar. “It was an interesting time when a lot of people came just to see [Schwartzman] and every now and then [the other members] felt a little threatened. Then Alex [was in Donnie Darko and a The Gap commercial] and it became a kind of a strange rollercoaster with a lot of outside influences. But Alex is one of the most gifted songwriters and I think we’ve kept the focus on music and writing great songs — not hit singles. I think that eventually clicked with people to the point where you don’t hear about our past as much anymore, and as long as you have a leader with a clear and unique vision, it’s not that hard to stay together!” ON THE STAGE: Sept. 11— The Grove (Anaheim), Sept. 13— Henry Fonda Theater (L.A.) On the web: phantomplanet.com |
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Copyright © 2002 Mean Street Magazine, LLC |
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