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

Phantom Planet Phantom Planet is an American Rock music, 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 bes ...

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

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

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

, comparable to the sound of

the Strokes The Strokes are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikola ...

. 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 (band), Saxon Shore, Neon ...

, it is their first album to feature drummer Jeff Conrad (ex-

Big City Rock Big City Rock was an American rock music, 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 Electr ...

). During the recording of the album, drummer and co-founder

Jason Schwartzman Jason Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor, musician, and member of the Coppola family. Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has since appeared in six other Anderson films: '' The Darjee ...

left the band to pursue his acting career. The music video for album's single, "Big Brat" 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 Coppola and Jason Schwartzman. The film stars Owen Wilso ...

'', '' Funny People'', and television shows like '' Bored to Death'', can be heard on half the album's tracks, while the rest feature new drummer Jeff Conrad.

Songs

The song "By the Bed" is about Alex's grandmother, and what she told him on her deathbed, and the song "Jabberjaw" deals with anger and frustration. Alex Greenwald commented on "Jabberjaw" in ''

Nylon Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...

'' magazine:

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

Phantom Planet * Alex Greenwald – lead vocals, 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 band Maroon 5, in which he plays several instruments, primarily bass guitar. A frequent collaborator with the band since the 1990s, he joined ...

– bass guitar, backing vocals, guitar, drums (tracks 3 and 8) * Jacques Brautbar – rhythm guitar, bass, backing vocals *Darren Robinson – lead guitar *

– drums (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9) * Jeff Conrad – drums (tracks 5, 10 and 11) Additional musicians *Dean Keller – saxophone on "Big Brat" and "You're Not Welcome Here" * Bill Racine – additional saxophone on "Big Brat"

Production

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

Charts

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