LIVE REVIEW: Phantogram & The Antlers @ The Independent

On the indie music scene, there may just be too many 2-piece bands. Let’s take a look. You’ve got Matt and Kim, Mates of State, MGMT, The Ting Tings, She & Him, and many many more. So when another girl/guy duo pops up on the scene, you have to wonder if it’s just a phase the industry is going through (read: emo) or if the all the bands actually live up to their respective hypes.

Phantogram

This New York City duo has only been around a short while, releasing only a few singles out in ’09 before signing with Barsuk Records and releasing Eyelid Movies, a record I’ve yet to get sick of since its release in February. It’s like Portishead in the sense that there’s some trip-hop here and there, but it’s way poppier than that.

Their live show is intoxicating. You almost can’t believe that 2 people are pulling so much energy out of their music and giving it back to the audience. Lead singer, Sarah Barthel rarely lets you see her face, a great skill we should praise her stylist for. Even during a later attempt at the merch table, we still couldn’t get a good picture of her pretty mug.

Make sure to check out this buzzing band and grab the free mp3 of When I’m Small. Want to see more pictures? Check out the set in our Flickr gallery. And if you’re in the Salt Lake, Eugene, or Aspen areas, Phantogram is on tour.

The Antlers

I’m pretty sure I saw The Antlers live. I even have pictures to prove that I did, but somehow after Phantogram’s set, I found myself in quite the predicament. I resorted to taking shots of Jack Daniels at the bar, which is a bummer since I’ve been somewhat addicted to Hospice, a record they put out last summer. Go grab some free tracks on Amazon, or the check out the widget below.