Phantogram
Miller Lite Oasis Stage @ Summerfest 200 N. Harbor Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Neilson Barnard Getty Images for Samsung
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NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 16: Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter of Phantogram pose for a portrait at Samsung 837's Live@837 NYC Summer Series on June 16, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Samsung)
Alternative rock is saturated with synth-pop bands right now, most of them offering plenty in the way of pleasant, candy-colored spectacle but little in the way of substance or originality. The New York duo Phantogram, however, offers a genuinely unique take on the sound, combining the eerie mystique of Blonde Redhead, the grand shoegaze of M83 and the sensual charge of Serge Gainsbourg with bold, kinetic hip-hop loops of the sort Pete Rock, J Dilla and Madlib pioneered. It’s that generous dose of hip-hop that distinguishes their third and most recent album, 2016’s Three, which contrasts sleek, fizzy pop with gritty beats.
