Phantom Power

Retreating from the multimedia panorama of Rings Around the World, Phantom Power was introduced with a pastoral cover design by longtime art director Pete Fowler to signal an earthbound direction for the group. Opening the album is “Hello Sunshine,” possibly the most grounded piece SFA has ever recorded. Marked by lazy tempos, sunny California psychedelia, and washes of acoustic guitar and piano, much of Phantom Power feels like a gentle comedown after the sensory explosions of Rings Around the World. The band’s love for the Beach Boys has never shined stronger than it does on “Liberty Belle” and “Venus & Serena,” yet a sense of looming dread and political frustration edges in on “Out of Control” and “The Undefeated.” Though Phantom Power marks a resting point in the band’s career, the album also displays some of the band’s most ambitious moments to date, including the dark undulations of “The Piccolo Snare” and the astounding multi-part finale “Slow Life.”