Phantogram + the Loom @ Monkey Town

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Wednesday, 17 June 2009 09:11

Monkey Town is a unique space in that it is the sort of rare venue which becomes a part of the performance. The ambient setting and stylings are all among the most unique in the city. The room—the back room of a strangely minimalist Franco-inclined restaurant on Williamsburg’s North Side- is a rounded space run around by a low couch with other items of furniture sprinkled around it. The stage is a raised area in the center of the room—the aforementioned couch is set up at a slant so you are looking up. Beyond all this, projections of various settings serve as the perpetual backdrop while bands are playing and make up their own unique slideshow in between sets.

As people trickled into the slightly early Saturday show a trippy soundtrack played, slowly changing settings. Phantogram, a Saratoga Springs based duo were the first act up. While having just recently released their first EP, based on the crowd in attendance, they are building a strong buzz.

The band are primarily synthesizer based, pulling off the ethereal electronic sound with remarkable precision. Their music is defined by the vocal work of singer Sarah D. Barthel. The band played a 40 minute set in which they only spoke at the beginning and end. During the courseof the set, the duo played music to transition between songs. The flow of the music and their sound, combined with the space made for a hypnotic experience. The band’s set went very fast and kept the crowd in rapped silence throughout.

They were followed by Brooklyn sextet the Loom, making for a pretty jarring transition, made more jarring by the hip-hop that played between sets. The Loom plays upbeat folk rock and put on a great live show. Unfortunately the room did not really work in their favor like it had for Phantogram. While sitting down you can marvel at the excellent musicianship of the band members, they are the sort of band you'd want to be up and dancing for. My sitting position left me feeling quite detached from their set. They incorporated a good deal more banter, much of which fell flat on the remaining crowd. Though The Loom was the band I went to see, it was Phantogram that served as a remarkable surprise.

-TJ Olsen