I was in Underground Sounds the other day and Phantom Family Halo‘s new album Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die was playing.  I didn’t recognize it at first, but what I heard was epic.   Every track seemed lifted from a timeless album that changed music, but in a mirror reflecting PFH’s own image.  It’s messy, its distorted, it’s trippy, it’s perfect.  I’ve seen them a number of times in the past and I’ve always been a fan, but this album has taken them to a whole new level for me.  The album throws pretension and convention out the window and does whatever the fuck it wants.  Fast, slow, melodic, electric, old, new, hard, soft…they do it all at their pace, not yours.  White Stripes, Velvet Underground?  I raise my head and wonder if I’m listening to the same album, only to be reassured that, yes, it is still PFH.  Get a taste of the album below, but you MUST listen to this WHOLE album.  It’s one of my favorite albums of the year.  No question. Take notice.

On a related note, Karate Body Records is KILLING IT!! Let’s review:  This album (a beautiful 2xLP), Bonnie Billy and Cheyenne Mize (10″ Cream), Louisville is For Lovers Vol. 9 (Pink/White mix), Ben Sollee (White LP), Rachel Grimes (w/ Sheet Music), Wussy/The Fervor (Green Vinyl), Ume EP (Gold vinyl), Pokey LaFarge & Joe Manning 7″ (heavy as hell white vinyl)… It’s all ridiculously awesome and I can’t get enough of it.

Phantom Family Halo will open for Russian Circles and Young Widows on the following tour dates:

FRI NOV 27 – Detroit MI, Magic Stick
SAT NOV 28 – Buffalo, NY Soundlab
MON NOV 30 – Milford CT, Daniel Street
TUE Dec 1 – New York NY, Bowery Ballroom
WED DEC 2 – Cambridge MA, The Middle East
THU DEC 3 – Washington DC, DC9
FRI DEC 4 – Philadelphia PA, First Unitarian Church
SUN DEC 6 – Montreal QC, Il Motore
MON DEC 7 – Toronto ON, Lee’s Place
WED DEC 9 – Kalamazoo MI, The Strut
THU DEC 10 – Cleveland OH, The Grog Shop
FRI DEC 11- Louisville, Kentucky, Skull Alley

Also:

PFH’s double LP Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die is out now and you can get it online at Karate Body or at a fine record store near you.  Mark it down: Their record release show will be Nov. 25 in Louisville at Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge with Softcheque. Cost is $5.

Phantom Family Halo – Blackouts and Runaways
Phantom Family Halo – Alive and Well

Continue reading LOCAL LISTEN: Phantom Family Halo at Backseat Sandbar.