Phantom Planet — Devastator (6/18/20)
This Los Angeles alt-rock band has a song that got a lot of attention in the mid-’00s. “California” from their 2002 sophomore album was used as the theme song for the popular teen drama The OC.
I actually loved that show but I never considered looking into the band behind the annoyingly catchy tune. I didn’t even know Phantom Planet existed until I saw they were opening for Panic! At The Disco in 2008.
After connecting the dots, I was surprised to see that The OC band was opening for one of the leading emo groups at the time. The beachy surf-pop of “California” did not line up with the theatrical synth-pop of a song like “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.”
But that was the 2002 Phantom Planet. 2008 saw the band signed to the same label as Panic — Fueled By Ramen — and with their fourth album that had its share of appeal for angsty teenagers. The album was Raise The Dead and it catapulted PP into the realms of my all-time favourites.
Unfortunately, that was the last we’d hear from PP for some time, as they went on a hiatus that same year. I had given up all hope of ever seeing a return from the band when in May of last year they suddenly released “BALISONG” (which I had no idea until now is another word for a butterfly knife).
As their first song in over ten years, it worked as a safe and easily enjoyable re-introduction. It’s a bit shy of being anything truly exciting though; the soft smashing hook providing little more than a fun little drop-in. It actually strikes me as a great addition to the party playlist. It feels very much fit for background music at a casual party with just enough energy to fit the mood while never stealing the spotlight.
Speaking of party, they gifted us with the second single back in September by the name of “Party Animal.” It can follow “BALISONG” right into the party playlist because it has a very similar impact. The walking verses are super catchy and they hold a very familiar appeal; vocalist Alex Greenwald sounding no different than 10 years ago.
It’s the shouted sing-a-long chorus of “Part animal, part party animal” on repeat that steals from the PP magic. It’s a silly hook that doesn’t take long to become a nuisance and lose all replay value.
Third times the charm and it was with their third single “Time Moves On” that they struck gold. Greenwald was engaged to actress Brie Larson whom he had been in a relationship with for seven years before they called it quits in early 2019. He has stated that the album was written in part about the ending of that period in his life and there’s certainly a reminiscent feeling on this track.
The song does a wonderful job at capturing the feeling of time’s impact on us. It can be an encouraging song or it can be kind of horrifying. Getting tied up in thoughts about the passing of time can literally make you sick and this song has a bit of that effect.
Unfortunately, that’s the best this album has to offer. I am tragically disappointed with the majority of these songs.
The final single before the album’s release, “Only One,” still kept me hopeful with another easily enjoyable melody. You can appreciate the song for its overall production quality that has a real soft and textured sound, but the soft rock melody is so far from being exciting.
And it just gets worse.
The album that made me fall in love with these guys back in 2008 held a few really cool slow songs with “Quarantine,” “Demon Daughters,” and “I Don’t Mind.” Each one was unique and wonderfully impactful and helped balance out the energetic pop-rock of the rest of the album.
There is no balance to this album. Despite the few more upbeat tracks I’ve mentioned, it’s like they go all-in on the slow song approach.
And hey, if it works it works, but these songs are not working for me. I can feel the similarities to those older slow hits but they completely flop when it comes to reaching anything that catches my ear.
Every one of the seven songs, that weren’t released as singles, do nothing for me. And that’s shocking. After all these years to return with three decently catchy singles, one fabulous single, and then seven soft rock songs floating around the 4-minute mark that feel nearly lifeless…it’s just ridiculous. This is easily the most disappointing album I’ve heard in a long time.
