Customer Reviews

Guest (Reis)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have to admit, I am a 35 year old guy from NoCal who heard the song "California" on the movie "Orange County", and after singing it incessantly for 3 days I went out and bought the CD.
It is a solid college rock album. Reminds me of Ben Folds Five, Semisonic, the Connells etc. A little bit of everything thrown into the pot, stirred around with catchy lyrics, and upbeat music and it works. I really like this album.
"California" is the piano driven track that rocks. "Lonely Day" is about that mood we all can relate to, but smile about it all the while.
Personally, I think track#7 "turn, smile, shift, repeat" is the best song on the CD. You get the feeling that these are some competent musicians who have some talent and also can put a lot of feelings into song. Sometimes you just don't feel like talking, and "The Guest" speaks for us on days like that.
There is this youthful exuberance that pervades the entire project. Yes, we all get confused, angry and sad. But when you think about it, who doesn't?
2 thumbs up for a solid college band that actually rocks. Forget about P-Diddy remixes, Korn, and J-Lo. This is real music for "real" people. You owe it to yourself to check this out.

Why do so many people dislike Phantom Planet...and laugh when they say that I like them? Are pretty boys not allowed to rock...or pop-rock at least? You think the production of Mitchell Froom & Tchad Blake (Cibo Matto, Sheryl Crow, Crowded House, Ed Harcourt, Pretenders, Ron Sexsmith, Suzanne Vega, Tom Waits, the list really does go on & on) would've at least given them a little more respect. The Guest, in my book, is the best and most palatable of all these alternative-pop-rock acts that came out last year. I think Brian thought a little strangely of me for picking up this cd in the Boston Virgin Megastore but I think he got won over by them. We tried to see them later that fall at the Black Cat only to walk up to the line and realize that the show had sold out ahead of time. Hopefully the same won't happen with their upcoming show here in the DC area. (Best of luck in finding the double-disc version of The Guest with the unreleased title track, and live cuts of "Do The Panic" & "California." Even more luck in also finding the 5-song live promo that was released before the actual cd too. If you're nice, I might tell you who has it. ;-)

"California" was the best thing about the ads for Fox's OC. Lead singer Alexander Greenwald even inflects a little country twang on "Always On My Mind" and "Nobody's Fault." I don't go a week without finding myself singing "Lonely Day" at least twice to myself...even without having listened to the cd in several months. There was a time too, in my more tortured moments, where "One Ray Of Sunlight" was my favorite of the tracks on here with the chorus of, "Try all you want to / I'm gonna try too / If I get one ray of sunlight to hold in my hand / Maybe we can be happy again." "Anthem" could be a postmodern protest song if played in the local football stadium's PA. "In Our Darkest Hour" is probably my least favorite of the tracks on The Guest; it's a little grungier, a little more garage than most of the songs and is mildly redeemed by the chorus' hook. "Turn Smile Shift Repeat" is probably their most atmospheric work to date and has drawn comparisons to dare I say it...Radiohead? The sax in the bridge makes the track though adding another layer uncommonly heard of in most of today's pop fare. "Hey Now Girl" works because it's under three minutes, same with "Nobody's Fault." The two of these songs together makes this little gay boy jump up & down like he's with a bunch of kids at their first rock show. I'm a little older so I can't jump up & down for more than six minutes at a time. I think Sheryl Crow might've sampled the opening drums on "Soak Up The Sun" from the ending drums of "All Over Again." "Wishing Well" builds up from a repetitive piano note to an epic masterpiece that could rival, dare I say it...Radiohead?...even including some Bachrachian trumpets. And you all know what a sucker I am for trumpets and horns in pop music. Album closer, "Something Is Wrong," stands-out as the warmest song on The Guest keeping it acoustic letting the bass guitar reverberate and harkens back to all those old acoustic acts from the Sixties.

I think the future can hold even greater things for Phantom Planet, if the departure of drummer & Rushmore-star Jason Schwartzman doesnt affect the band too much. I would like to hear more Beach Boy style harmonies from them, but then again, I think everyone should be like the Beach Boys. I think it'll have to be their next album though to prove to the bulk of the world, yours truly excluded, that they're more than their famous last names...and that pretty boys really can pop-rock.

My friend and I swapped cd's I let her borrow Coldplay and she let me borrow Phantom Planet (and might I add this is a great way to expand your musical horizons). At first I didn't consider this a fair trade but I've listened to this album a hundred times since then and enjoy it more each time.
This album doesn't have a completly new sound but a sound that absolutely fits them. Some times bands seem to be singing what they were told to sing or what they thought would make them big...this band seems to absolutely feel their music. Alex Greenwald (lead vocals) sings his heart out on this album.
Great lyrics, great music, and (my personal favorite thing) a lot of diversity in their music. Albums get boring if they have one sound the entire time, they obviously knew this and have a great range of heavier,to mellow,to moody, to happy...
It's sad that bands like this get advertised as the band with the star of Rushmore...actor Jason Schwartzman. This one doesn't fit into the actors trying to play music mold,they really are musicians and good ones at that. I love this cd, be their guest and buy this album!!

i have been waiting for the latest phantom planet cd to finally arrive and couldnt be happier with this newest creation. the source of my happiness mainly comes from the unexpected contrast between the two albums. The Guest has more slowed down songs with catchy beats and a more laidback feel. especially note 'turn smile shift repeat' one of my favorites on the album. also enjoyed are 'one ray of sunlight' and 'hey now girl', but to choose favorites here is too hard, so the whole cd is notable and definently worth buying. this band is a great answer to the sad selection of mainstream radio play and are in my mind a mix between Weezer and the Monkees. just check em out, you can download the great single 'california' here for free, and i can almost guarentee your satisfaction.

In the dried up well that is music, phantom planet is our oasis. A great followup to their previous cd "phantom planet is missing" which did not get the recognition that it so deserved, "the guest" serves and delivers. Heres a quick rundown:
1.) california - you'll love it..great melody. the band's homesick homage to the sunshine state. you'll want to go to cali after listening
2.)always on my mind - great great. anyone can imagine being in the situation
3.) lonely day - the second single off the album. Lonely day is a great followup to "california".
4.) one ray of sunlight - rockit..its so lovely to follow along with too.
5.) anthem - flows so wonderfully..satiates your creative appetite
6.) in our darkest hour - my second fave right now off this album, its crafted like a dream
7.) turn smile shift repeat - a work of musical art. if we had a music gallery, this should be there. A dead on attack on capitilism.
8.) hey now girl - umm my fave right now. *WARNING*: i got pulled over for speeding while listening to this.
9.) no body's fault - the lyrics..so true
10.)all over again - i rock out hard to this one..its hard not to
11.) wishing well - *sigh* why can't people make music like this anymore? answer me! how? beautiful song..beautiful
12.) something is wrong - "clever" melody as one guitarist put it..i love this song. fantastic lyrics for a short guitar tune, that i've heard in many years

there you have it...12 tracks or candy to the ears
get it now

I have to admit, I am a 35 year old guy from NoCal who heard the song "California" on the movie "Orange County", and after singing it incessantly for 3 days I went out and bought the CD.
It is a solid college rock album. Reminds me of Ben Folds Five, Semisonic, the Connells etc. A little bit of everything thrown into the pot, stirred around with catchy lyrics, and upbeat music and it works. I really like this album.
"California" is the piano driven track that rocks. "Lonely Day" is about that mood we all can relate to, but smile about it all the while.
Personally, I think track#7 "turn, smile, shift, repeat" is the best song on the CD. You get the feeling that these are some competent musicians who have some talent and also can put a lot of feelings into song. Sometimes you just don't feel like talking, and "The Guest" speaks for us on days like that.
There is this youthful exuberance that pervades the entire project. Yes, we all get confused, angry and sad. But when you think about it, who doesn't?
2 thumbs up for a solid college band that actually rocks. Forget about P-Diddy remixes, Korn, and J-Lo. This is real music for "real" people. You owe it to yourself to check this out.

I have been a fan of Phantom Planet since 1998. They have come a long way to get where they are today. They are hardworking and friendly, humorous people and deserve success. Their first album, along with their B-sides album are two of my all time favorite cds so I was very excited for "The Guest" to finally be released. I have seen them live several times and had already heard many of the material on this new album. I thought all of them were outstanding. I had been wondering how they could ever follow up those last two cds and I knew they had outdone themselves after hearing those new songs live. However, hearing this cd is very different than hearing the songs in concert. In concert the band really puts all of their energy into their performances. The cd is good but is lacking this energy! That is the one thing wrong with this cd. There are many great songs, the catchy pop-like tribute to their home state, "California" is earning the band many new fans. "In Our Darkest Hour" is one of the best tracks with excellent lyrics, nice harmony on the chorus, and a great intro on guitar. The best song by far, is "Wishing Well". It sounds unlike any other Phantom Planet song. The opening of the song sounds so odd that at first it can almost be more uneasy than pleasant to listen to, but it ends up really fitting in nicely with the entire song. The combination of Alex Greenwald's vocals, the interesting chords during the verses, and how together the band sounds on this track make for a very intense and wonderful song. Phantom Planet is definately talented but I think their finest album has yet to come.

I loved "Phantom Planet Is Missing." I can't remember how I found out about it but it's become one of my favorite CDs, one that I always turn to when I'm tired of music. Part of what I liked about "Phantom Planet Is Missing" is that it showed so much potential. That album was really good, but in listening to it you could tell that Phantom Planet could be great. On "The Guest" we see Phantom Planet maturing and branching out a little bit. Although the editorial reviewer said that the ablum "only occasionally speak[s] to darker themes" it certainly comes across as darker than "Phantom Planet Is Missing" to me. That album seems to be much more aware of the fact that there was a five-piece band with three guitars, drums, bass, and a voice and aware of the fact that the songs were being listened to by an audience. There's still a little bit of an audience awareness, which isn't a bad thing, but I can't image a song like "Something Is Wrong" having been on the other album because it seems to me so intensely personal. That song alone seems to me to make the ablum worthwhile. But, thankfully, the album doesn't rest upon the shoulders of that single song. There are definitely the beautiful, poppy songs like "Hey Now Girl," "Always On My Mind," and "One Ray of Sunlight," then there are also a lot of songs that have a narrator who seems a little world-weary, like "Wishing Well" or "Turn Smile Shift Repeat." Then of course there's "California," which is so pretty and shows such a deep fondness for "California" it almost makes you wish you lived there. But that's another topic. Basically, I would say this is a good, solid pop-rock type album that's definitely worth listening too and there's no need to skip any tracks, and I think we can expect more good things from Phantom Planet in the future.

Phantom Planet's debut "The Guest" is a bright, enjoyably catchy powerpop album. While most of the music and lyrics are pretty unexceptional, their experiments and energy make this a pleasant listen. It won't rock your world, but it will make it bounce a little.

The popular single "California" is one of the weaker songs of this album, merely a simplistic yearning for... well, California. But the meat of "Guest" kicks off with bouncing love songs (the cute crush song "Always On My Mind") and panicked pleas ("In Our Darkest Hour," the desperate "All Over Again"). And the group veers into Radiohead territory with the somber, atmospheric "Turn Smile Shift Repeat," a surreal experiment that may be the best song in the album, along with the darkly enticing "Wishing Well."

Though the guys in Phantom Planet aren't adolescents anymore, there's a feeling of teenagerhood in this album. "All I can do is hope that she is thinking of me/If I could blink/if I could breathe/If I could get my legs to move..." sings Greenwald hopefully. Crushes, hopes to go to faraway oases of fun, trying to stay together with a girlfriend and "lonely lonely lonely lonely days" are sprinkled through the songs of "Guest."

Alex Greenwald has a nice versatile voice. It's clear and smooth; he can wail desperately like a man in a burning building, sing in monotone a la Thom Yorke, or just sing. The music is fairly typical, except when interrupted by faint electronica ("Turn Smile Shift Repeat," "Hey Now Girl") and the occasional dash of piano and sax. Lyrics are often quite typical (" If I get one ray of sunlight to hold in my hand/Maybe we can be happy again...") but occasionally they spring into well-written, evocative surreality.

The adolescent vigor of Phantom Planet is what makes it sparkle. While "Guest" has the roughness and simplicity of many debut albums, it's a pleasant collection that hints at greater scope in their future.

Any time a relatively unknown group cranks out a great song, like "California", you expect them to be a one hit wonder. You've seen it before - a great song you catch on the radio, so great you decide to pick up the album in order to discover the rest of that awesome talent that you just know awaits you on the other tracks. And then you get it home and try to figure out where the hit song came from when the other songs can't begin to compare.

This album is NOT one of those. Sure, "California" may be the strongest song on the album, but there is a supporting cast of tracks here to keep the good vibes cranking most of the way. "Always On My Mind" is a great tune that keeps your foot tapping. "Lonely Day" has an awesome guitar power chord chorus. "One Ray of Sunlight" drips a little sap, but is ultimately a listenable song. "Anthem"... isn't, but you'll find yourself humming along. "In Our Darkest Hour" has a compelling, tortured vocal touch to it but grows a little weak in the chorus. "Turn Smile Shift Repeat" is a slower, sadder song, and is meant to be deep. Problem is, it's too transparent in its intentions. "Hey Now Girl" starts with some quirky synth beats but breaks out into a rollicking guitar song. "Nobody's Fault" is another fun toe-tapper. "All Over Again" is a great tune, with the vocals tinged in that tortured affectation that works well for these guys. "Wishing Well" is a pleasant slower song, but it's placement right behind "All Over Again" makes it feel like it's killing the party. "Something Is Wrong" is a slow and gentle song, and it just doesn't seem to fit with the overall feel-good theme of the CD.

The only weakness this set has is the lyrics. The tunes are strong enough, but there just aren't any memorable phrases or lines used, "California" excepted. The lyrics aren't bad, it's just that they aren't great.

The real test of this CD is the ability to listen to it, in its entirety, over and over. It's been in heavy use since I got it, and that's something that no one-hit CD can accomplish.