Album Review: Ceremony by Phantogram

Following 2016's 'Three', Phantogram´s fourth LP further solidifies their near-pole position as one of New York's leading contemporary electronic exports. 'Ceremony' beautifully merges themes of both catastrophe and optimism, such as the opening line of 'Pedestal' - "You could make a hospital lovely", while 'Into Happiness' hits hard, with huge drums and confident melodies that deftly create a sense of uncertainty, and 'Let Me Down' grooves urgently. 'Glowing', an unmistakable highlight, dives headfirst into a more fragile territory - almost painfully human.

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Phantogram thrive on discomfort. The New York duo's 2010 debut Eyelid Movies revealed them as masters of tension: their prickly, minimalist trip-hop moved at its own pace, their lyrics full of barbed, abstract images that hinted at bigger stories the band refused to tell. As they've crossed over into a mainstream space via Republic Records, Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter have remained at their best when they've refused to let go of this strangeness--as with their excellent, twisted 2016 single "You Don't Get Me High Anymore," a pop song about addiction that opens with a line about teeth falling out of your head.

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