Slick. Kind of uninspired. Supernatural hooks from beyond the grave. All sorts of descriptors spring to mind when I think about Phantom Planet's second album, The Guest. But honestly, how many of you actually care what this record sounds like? Let's just lay all our cards on the table. With a quick show of hands, who among you is only interested in Phantom Planet because that kid from Rushmore is the drummer? Come on, 'fess up. There was a time when I, too, couldn't have cared less about them if I wasn't such a fan of Wes Anderson's films.
At first glance, Phantom Planet seemingly has 'gimmick' built into its DNA-- see, frontman Alex Greenwald's also got an acting career. And just look at them! The last time I saw five guys doing so much self-conscious posing was in Zoolander. Plus, they've got three guitars. Now that's anarchy!
But the thing is, somewhere between all the vamping and forced attempts at being hip and irreverent, they found the time to write and record a fine record. The Guest is practically the definition of pop-- there's enough bubblegum and sticky-sweet lyrics in these twelve tracks to finance a Hubba Bubba comeback. Some of the songwriting here is unbelievably catchy, and bordering on brilliantly so. Sure, it ain't too complicated, but this sort of music rarely is (it's not like these guys are Mathletes or anything). And the unstoppable production duo Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake work wonders for the album, too, keeping the sounds crystal clear and light as a feather.
Unlike most bands that claim their music is reminiscent of 60s pop, Phantom Planet actually make good on their promise, while also capably wrapping the sound around a variety of obvious influences from Radiohead ("Turn Smile Shift Repeat") to Elvis Costello ("Nobody's Fault" and "One Ray of Sunlight"). Of course, the same retro charm that effortlessly carries the more upbeat numbers fails to translate as well to the more subdued cuts, and while the vocals are almost uniformly enjoyable, hearing Greenwald strain his pipes on a couple of these tunes gets a little tiresome.
Still, The Guest is well executed and enjoyable, and fares much better than a lot of by-the-numbers pop/rock. It might be a little empty-headed for some people's tastes, but hey, not mine. All they need to do now is get Dogstar to open their tour. Then for the encore, Jason Schwartzman and Keanu Reeves could come out and sing some sort of duet-- like a Wyld Stallyns medley! Now that I'd pay good money to see.
