Phantom/ Smoke & Mirrors

Phantom
Smoke & Mirrors
(La NausŽe Records)

The debut album from London-based duo Phantom takes the listener on a journey full of velveteen vocals, blending bump-in-the-night Musique concrete, sultry vampirism and Enrico Morricone 1960’s guitars.
Interestingly, the record comes in two parts; to begin with we get the languid build of ‘Sphinx’, which slips into the Shakespeare’s Sister meets Siouxsie Sioux world of ‘We Float’, an incredibly atmospheric piece with deep bell tolls, Gregorian echoes and cathedral sized reverb. It’s like a love story from the crypt.
The Death In Planes Remix of ‘We Float’ rounds off Part 1 by cocooning you in a church of reverb, with hand claps splashing down upon the concoction of niches, nooks and recesses.
The second half throws away the heavy cloak of noise and focuses on the songs, maintaining the Banshee’s blackness, while borrowing from the sonic palettes mined by the likes of Squarepusher or NIN. We’re suddenly in a cold, dank place that’s deep underground.
‘Voodoo Romantic’ whispers a promise of lighter notes, whilst remaining faithful to the Gothic aesthetic, as does the live favourite ‘Great Pretender.’
This is an ambitious and accomplished record, which is more Sigur Ros than Mogwai. There arewn’t many songs which stand out amidst the fluid, continuous segue format, but it’s an incredibly intricate record which transports you deep into Phantom’s universe – and we can all use a holiday now an then.