Phantom City's premier release, "City of Dreams", is full of nostalgia, good times, and classic vibes. Listening to it constantly conjures up good memories of hanging out with friends from the past. And I'm thankful. I think of times in high school, when we acted like we were up to no good but we really weren't, or when we did silly things for no reason. Phantom City conjures up these images because they are a band that has fun for the sake of having fun and nothing more. Their music could easily be dropped into a Classic Rock play list and blend in perfectly. The style however changes enough from track to track to keep things interesting. Much of the first half of the album reminds me of some of my favorite Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. By track six, we are treated with "Holding On To Long", an up-tempo blues song that is reminiscent of Santana. Slow it down and you could have an awesome tune by Billy Holiday. And intertwined with it all, I hear some good old rock that reminds me of something you'd here from Journey.
Now I'm not saying that they sound just like these folks, not at all. I'm saying that they could easily be played right next to them without falter. Anyone who is a Classic Rock junkie could be swept up in Phantom City's tunes after just a couple listens.
The Band is based out of San Francisco, consisting of five individuals who have played music for most of their lives. You can hear the comfort they have with their instruments, and the sheer joy they get out of playing.
www.PhantomCity.net
