''Phantom Planet'' is the third album by the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Phantom Planet Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is best known for it ...

, released on January 6, 2004. The album marked a startling change in the band's sound, shifting from radio-friendly

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

, comparable to the sound of

The Strokes The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio More ...

. Produced by

Dave Fridmann David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. Career From 1990 onwards he co-produced most releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. Other bands he has worked with include Weezer, Saxon Shore, Neon Indian, Wolf Gang, ...

(

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

), it is the first album to feature current drummer Jeff Conrad (ex- Big City Rock). It has been credited with earning the band's first significant fan base, as well as some minor commercial success. During the recording of the album, drummer and co-founder

Jason Schwartzman Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician. Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has gone on to appear in six other Anderson films: '' The Darjeeling Limited'' (2 ...

left the band to pursue his acting career. The song "By the Bed" is about Alex's grandmother, and what she told him on her deathbed. The song "Jabberjaw" deals with anger and frustration.

Alex Greenwald Alexander Greenwald (born October 9, 1979) is an American musician, actor, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist of the California rock band Phantom Planet. Life and career Greenwald was born in Los Angeles, California, to a family of J ...

commented on this song in ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

'' magazine: The music video for album's single, "Big Brat" had significant airplay beginning in December 2003. It cuts between scenes of an urban performance of the song to the band shooting a low budget zombie film in the relative location. The actual zombie film being shot was used as an alternate music video for the song available to fans on the band's website.

Recording and production

The album was Phantom Planet's first without drummer Jason Schwartzman, who announced midway through the sessions that he was leaving to pursue acting full-time. "He finally made the adult decision between the two sides of him," Greenwald said of his friend, with whom he co-founded the group at age thirteen. "It was a little strange at first, but there's no bad blood. We're still best friends." Schwartzman, the star of several films, including '' Rushmore'', ''

The Darjeeling Limited ''The Darjeeling Limited'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, which he co-produced with Scott Rudin, Roman Coppola, and Lydia Dean Pilcher, and co-wrote with Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman. The film stars Owen W ...

'', ''

Funny People ''Funny People'' is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow, co-produced by Apatow Productions and Madison 23 Productions, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann with Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason S ...

'', and television shows like ''

Bored to Death ''Bored to Death'' is an American comedy series that ran on HBO from September 20, 2009, to November 28, 2011. The show was created by author Jonathan Ames, and stars Jason Schwartzman as a fictional Jonathan Ames—a writer based in Brooklyn, Ne ...

'', can be heard on half the album's tracks, while the rest feature new drummer Jeff Conrad.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for ''Phantom Planet'' adapted from

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Musicians

;Phantom Planet *

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

, guitar, bass *

Sam Farrar Sam John Farrar (born June 29, 1978) is an American musician. He is best known as a member of the pop rock band Maroon 5, in which he plays several instruments, most notably bass guitar. A frequent collaborator with the band since the 1990s, he ...

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, backing vocals, guitar, drums *

Jacques Brautbar Jacques Brautbar (born March 14, 1979) is an United States of America, American composer, photographer, producer, writer and guitarist, formerly of rock music, rock band Phantom Planet. He left the band in 2004, after their Phantom Planet (alb ...

– rhythm guitar, bass, backing vocals *Darren Robinson – lead guitar *

– drums *

Jeff Conrad Big City Rock was an American pop rock band based in Los Angeles, California, United States, who were signed to Atlantic Records. Their music type is self-described as "energetic, anthemic pop" with "an uplifting sound", with keyboards, guitar ...

- drums ;Additional musicians *Dean Keller – saxophone on "Big Brat" and "You're Not Welcome Here" *

Bill Racine Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

– additional saxophone on "Big Brat"

Production

– producer *Rob Bronco – artwork *Skullhead & Clark, Brandy Flower – artwork *Mike Myerburg – photography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phantom Planet (Album) Phantom Planet albums 2004 albums Epic Records albums Daylight Records albums Albums produced by Dave Fridmann Albums recorded at Tarbox Road Studios