Drums revive Phantogram

On Sep. 23, Saratoga Springs-based electronic duo Phantogram hit the Paradise with an addition to the usual duo of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter a drummer. But first, Railbird, another band from Saratoga Springs, charmed the crowd with their vaguely folky art-pop and minced time signatures like no band I’ve ever heard. Their two drummers gave their sound a huge boost, and Sarah Pedinotti’s jazzy croon floated over the rhythmic maelstrom, easily shifting tempos with the other musicians, creating a sound somewhat like if Kate Bush fronted The Fiery Furnaces and made them tone down their hyperactive song structures.

Phantogram’s addition of a drummer was a bit of a surprise, as they’ve been touring as a duo for a while, but the depth it added to their sound immediately seemed indispensible. The band opened with an old-timey sounding sample leading into “As Far as I Can See,” which seemed to piece together a beat from samples of that old song, using cheers and indistinguishable bits of sung words. While Barthel started out breathy and reserved, by the end of the song she was holding out long notes, turning the unloved protagonist of the song into something more deserving of attention. The band followed with “Let Me Go,” and here the drums gave them the power their studio recordings sometimes lack. The heavier rhythm section made them sound somewhat more “rock,” as there was also more of a focus on guitar than electronics or samples, but Barthel played the part of indie rock frontwoman perfectly, delivering a wistful melody and howling the titular line.

Another big surprise was the totally reinvented “Bloody Palms,” which on record has a jagged guitar riff for a chorus, but live was dreamy and shoegazey with a more optimistic chord progression, to which the band added samples for a countermelody. “Mouthful of Diamonds” found the band at their brightest with a quirky beat and a major-key guitar riff, and “Running from the Cops” was its complement, just as danceable but darker, sort of like sped- up trip-hop with distorted vocals. Barthel and Carter used the simple guitar and keyboard parts of “You Are the Ocean” to build to a fantastic release of a chorus and simultaneous guitar and keyboard solos, finding more melodic depth in the song than it seemed to have initially. “Make a Fist,” a new cut and the only track not from this year’s Eyelid Movies, found the band trying their hand at a song in 5/4. “Fist” had a bombastic feel and built up to an explosive outro around Barthel’s repeated line of “this is the future.”

At this pointing the show, Barthel noted that this was their first show as a three piece, then looped herself singing “Turn It Off” to lead into the song of the same name. However, the drums cut out almost as soon as that recognizable beat dropped. The band seemed distressed, as there was clearly some sort of technical difficulty, but the audience wasn’t clued in to exactly what was happening. The band wrapped up with a stripped down version of “10000 Claps” and the funky “When I’m Small,” with no encore, promising to come back to Boston soon and blow our minds. While many of us were still upset that such a killer show was cut short, the promise of a return makes up for it. Catch this band the next time they come through, especially for “Turn It Off,” arguably their best song. It’s sure to be breathtaking, as the band sounded even more cohesive live than on record, and I can only imagine that they’ll improve.