On the record: Phantom Planet

Artist : Phantom Planet

Album : Phantom Planet (Sony Music)

There is none of the power pop catchiness of California this time, as Phantom Planet's latest work is filled with rugged, distorted guitar.

The band describes the sound as "A fight between My Bloody Valentine, Fugazi, Elvis Costello and The Attractions, ... early U2, Sean Paul ...and whoever your favorite band is."

More simply put, it's garage rock, with a turbulent of distorted guitar and basslines, and raw retro sound that is the trend nowadays.

The album kicks off with driven drum work, the intro to unhappy The Happy Ending. Other standout tracks include Big Brat, with its infectious and catchy rhythm guitar, Jabberjaw and You're Not Welcome Here.

Despite the rather gloomy tone, they still deliver some good lyrics, such as in After Hours, mocking the party animals: You dress so nice/ You dress to kill/They drop like flies, but/Who's the funeral for?

Without an ultracatchy hit and drummer Jason Schwartzman, Phantom Planet still rocks. -- Hera Diani