Phantom - 'Kisses' [Track of the Day]
Finnish warped-jazz-hop (new genre alert TM) duo Phantom have only been making sweet, if slightly fractured music for the last twelve months, but if 'Kisses' is anything to go by, it's been a fucking brill anno domini 2012.
With influences as disparate as Radiohead, Flying Lotus, Gold Panda and frontwoman Hanna Toivonen's own background in jazz craft-woman-ship, it's little wonder the track starts as full of intent as it ends. Skittering drums, filtered and glitch laden, but for a snare crisply laying the beat with neu-motorik precision are soon joined by the soul drenched, echoing vocal and a rather lovely, if unexpected sample of Satie's 'Gymnopédie no. 1'.
As with a lot of so called "post-indie" electronica, this is a multi-layered gem, seemingly endless points and counter melodies meshing together to make an organic, yet meticulously thought out underlying melody that both pulls you deeper into the track, whilst maintaining that same air of indifference that keeps you just that bit too far to reach them.
All in all, this is yet another great track from a band showing huge amounts of promise, so much so they have been tipped repeatedly by tastemakers The xx. Can't knock that sorta praise, can you?
'Kisses' was shared online by the good folks over at The Guardian. Listen below.
And if you would like to go one step further, I recommend checking out their EP#2, released earlier this month [read more]
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