Phantom Phunk - Arboles Ossific
Phantom Phunk have landed on the
national music scene with Arboles Ossific, a highly individual and willfully
independent musical effort that challenges listener’s expectations while never
failing to entertain those willing to stick with its numerous twists and turns.
The band has only been together since 2014 when songwriters and longtime
friends Sasha Cheine and Hector Alexander convened to flesh out songwriting
ideas and decided to begin working on this project in earnest. They soon
realized that their collaboration was blossoming to a point where recruiting
sympathetic collaborators became a must and, after a brief search, rounded out
the lineup with drummer Nick Emiliozzi and guitarist Juan Gonzalez. Their work
writing and assembling this release has produced a wildly eclectic outing that
takes on too much for its own good but, shockingly, never makes a single
misstep.
“Snowy in Florida” touches on the
recent mass shooting in the Orlando area but never in a heavy-handed way. This
is much more of an emotional reaction to the world we unfortunately inhabit
today given shape in song and the highly musical cacophony of changes packed
into a relatively small space never overwhelms the listener. They know how to
alternate moods on this album and the second song “Sip of Wine” is proof. This
is a dream-like and exquisitely woven piece relying much more on subtlety that
instrumental prowess to deliver its romantic sentiments. The album’s first
single, “The Unheard Spirit Symphony”, would have made an excellent album title
and the track clearly is geared towards airplay without ever sounding overly
calculated or dishonest. The uptempo rush of its charging rhythm section and
guitar work perfectly matches Sasha Cheine’s vocals.
“Looping” has a slightly disjointed
feel at first, but the song quickly makes its musical intentions clear and
excels further on the back of another quality Cheine vocal. They once again
show their skill at manipulating the audience’s attention with its follow up,
“Brother’s Keeper”, which recalls the earlier track “Sip of Wine” with its
invoking of a delicate mood, even if the mood here is considerably bleaker than
before. They take another slightly surprising turn with the instrumental
“Distant Kaleidoscopes” and it gives listeners an opportunity to hear their
melodic talents in full view without the added distraction of vocals and lyrics.
The second to last song on the album, and for all intents and purposes its
climax, “Tommy’s Cosmic Avocado” is a long musical piece that moves through a
variety of atmospheres and moods that never lose their coherence despite the
long duration.
Phantom Phunk seem to be bursting with
ideas and energy and undoubtedly this supplies their debut with many of its
surprises. This is relentlessly optimistic music in some ways. Phantom Phunk
are clearly a collective of musicians who believe nothing is beyond their grasp
and, even if some songs deal with heavier subject matter, they clearly position
their songwriting as a strike back against settling for second best. This is a
band that’s aiming for the highest peaks they can find.
9 out of 10 stars.
Dale Butcher
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