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Artist: Pharrah Phosphate
Title: Self-Titled
Label: Candlethief Records
Release Date: 2004
Genre: Rock, Britpop, Indie
http://www.pharrahband.com
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When I first popped Pharrah Phosphate's debut album in my CD player I was astonished. I had to check the sleeve again. Then I did a search on the internet. How could these guys not be signed onto a major label? And why wasn't there any information about them. All I could find was that they were four guys from Portland, Organ who liked to play together.
I don't want to jinx their career by saying I think they'll be huge next year, but that is exactly what I'm trying to get across. Of course, I have a tendency to get these things wrong. Back when 120 Minutes was still on MTV I bet my roommate that Juliana Hatfield's 'My Sister' would be on the charts longer than Bjork's 'Human Behavior.' I mean who would have thought a video with a giant teddy bear would have stayed on the air so long.
I had to be the designated driver for a whole month after losing the bet. It was the summer of '93 and I remember doing a lot of aimless driving in a blue Chevy Nova listening to the Psychedelic Furs' 'Outside World.' There was something about driving with the humid breeze and listening to the Furs that made me forget that I had a job delivering pizza, no college prospects, and was unable to drown it out with cheap beer.
That's what Pharrah Phosphate is like. It's music that feels special to you; with songs that you will recall years later as defining a certain part of your life. The double vocals of Jordan Kincaid and Nathan Kincaid blend seamlessly. The melodies sweep across a large landscape where bands like The Cure, Radiohead, and The Mighty Lemon Drops have influence. Somehow Pharrah captures the essence of summer; that feeling that makes you want to lay on the green of a golf course at midnight and just smile.
'Waiting For Summer,' the first track ploughs forward setting the tempo for what is to come. Track three, 'Riptide,' makes use of a solemn base line and flange guitar similar to The Cure while track eight, 'Open Letters' is an obvious pick for college radio play with its catchy lyrics and sad harmonies. However, this is not an album where one or two songs stand out and the rest are worthless. All the tracks on Pharrah's debut work together to create a diverse mood which takes the listener down a long dark highway. As I was saying before it is the type of music (Indie, Britpop) that major record labels are currently trying to sign. Well, at least that's what I'm betting on.
- Nathan Feuerberg, HotIndieNews.com
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