Raise The Dead

Phantom Planet | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: April 14, 2008
• Label: Fueled By Ramen/Atlantic
• Copyright: 2008 Fueled By Ramen, LLC. for the United States and WEA International for the world outside of the United States. All Rights Reserved.
• Total Length: 43:05
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00171ANOE
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,976 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Phantom Planet Is NOT (and never was) Missing, April 21, 2008

By 

cpasixstring87 (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raise The Dead (Audio CD)

Phantom Planet's latest effort, "Raise The Dead," with it's bold title and even bolder sound, has captivated me from the first listen. It's refreshing to see bands like Phantom who are not afraid to step out from their style and try something new (and yes, succeed!). No, it's not "California." The laid back smooth style found in PP's earlier days is pushed aside for a more brazen "in your face" sound.

Imagine mixing in a blender the bold new sound and chaotic guitar riffs of their 2004 self titled album with the catchy hooks of "The Guest." Add a pinch Alex Greenwald's effortlessly beautiful (sometimes even slurred) vocals, and what do you have? A concoction fit for true music lovers.

Of course, like most albums, the first half proves to be a much stronger line-up than the second half. However, I don't think you'll have any troubles listening through the entire album without hitting skip.

With that being said, this album may not be for the 14 year old O.C. fans who bought "The Guest," listens to track one and slides the disc right back next to Backstreet Boys "Never Gone." For everyone else, give it a shot! I think you'll be surprised when you find your voice quivering and cracking as you strain to sing along.

Highlights: Raise The Dead, Dropped, Leader, Do The Panic, Geronimo

4.5 stars out of 5

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A garage rock classic, May 21, 2008

By 

Enrique Fernandez Roberts "Stray Dog and comm... (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Raise The Dead (Audio CD)

Having heard nothing of these guys other than "California", I picked up this album based on the great review it got in Entertainment Weekly (where it garnered a B+). As a fan of indy old school garage rock in particular, I was very pleased by this constantly moving album. Yes, the retro stylings will feel familiar, but don't toss this album into the generic "garage rock" genre just yet. This album brings a lot of soul to the table, and Phantom Planet's brilliance can not be ignored.

By constantly moving, I mean that the pace and tone changes are subtle enough to keep you listening from beginning to end. Raise the Dead (the track and the album) starts off slow but builds to a crescendo.

Track 2 remakes the old American Breed Lyric of "bend me shape me any way you want me" and turns it into "Tell me that you want me, tell me that you need me, tell me 'cuz I want to know". As with most of this album, they take a genre old enough to need dusting, yet take it in a new and fresh direction.

Track 3 takes you down to the dark side of the album's psyche, which constantly seems to want to come out. While the catchy tune uses a chorus with kids and SOUNDS cheerful, the lyrics are all about what happens when one joins a cult. I'd read there was some inspiration by the Manson band on this album and have to assume this song is the homage.

Do the Panic (track 4) is the most radio friendly tune on this album. Again mixing the concept of darkness and light, the song presents a lighthearted approach to Armageddon. Heavy stuff, but handled with finesse by these amazing rockers. Shucks, the video even features them all coming back to life after getting the chop in some cabin in the woods...

The guitar riffs on "Lost at Sea" at first reminded me of "taking care of business", but the song departs from there and gets addictive by the end. Demon Daughters has a psychedelic sound, but the breaks keep you from tripping. Much like the first track on the album, Geronimo starts slow but builds to a rocking crescendo like you've never felt.

The last three tracks off this album are so catchy that you'll want to hit "repeat" and listen to it all over again. Confess sounds somehow familiar, but breaks its own territory. Leave yourself for Somebody Else isn't quite the standout of the three, but it reminds me so much of the Hives and Franz Ferdinand that I can't help but love the tune. Finally, the album ends with a song that reminds me of the Beatles. I Don't Mind is the final piece of addiction here. This song feels so familiar, and part of me doesn't want to figure out why. This tune is haunting, beautiful, and yet invites this sense of nostalgia I can't place a finger on.

Overall, I recommend this spectacular album to fans of the following bands: Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Hives, The Rolling Stones, Franz Ferdinand, the Beatles, the Out Crowd, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the Strokes.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Risen from the dead as it were, April 16, 2008

By 

rapaleeman "rapaleeman" (Woodbridge, VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Raise The Dead (Audio CD)

Ok, I'm a huge Phantom Planet fan. Been with them since I heard "The Guest". Yes, "California" was the first track I heard, however it was on the radio almost a year before The OC aired so when I say I'm a fan it isn't because of some commercial vehicle they attached themselves to. I even somewhat enjoyed the self-titled album they put out. It was different, but it worked in my opinion to bring together a type of ordered chaos.

With that said, this album is just weird. I'm not really sure where they wanted to go or even where they are heading. "Phantom Planet is Missing" is the closest thing this album resembles, but even that would be pretty innacurate.

It seems that they took a bunch of songs that should have been on "The Guest" and added in some old school flavor to create this amalgom of a sound. It isn't bad by any means, but it is a pretty draastic departure in terms of the sound. Like I said before, the lyrics are actually more along the line of "The Guest" rather than the self-titled and that is a good thing since the self-titled was a little shallow in terms of writing.

Overall though, the album is just really hard to classify and being a fan of their older stuff really doesn't help all that much here. I would honestly recommend this to fans of bands like JET or Panic! At the Disco rather than older Phantom Planet fans. Those folks will probably get more out of it.

There are a few good songs here, but not much to get excited about. I guess this album dropped silently because of that fact. Or maybe it was because they left Epic and went to Fueled by Ramen where they do blend quite well along side the new Panic! album. As much as I would like to Highly Recommend this album, I can't.

Two and a half stars.