Phantogram - “Don’t Move”
Where they once worked in dark, hard-boiled beats largely inherited from Portishead, Phantogram are now taking steps toward the livelier end of the night. The collage of clipped little samples that litter “Don’t Move”—watery orchestra hits, luxurious soul horns, an impassioned vocal wail—create a swirling effect that transforms its tumbling drums and skyward guitar peals into a slo-mo pan-global jump-along. It’s all percussive, really, pushed ahead by those extra thumps of kick drum and punctuated by collective crashes (absent actual cymbals)—a four minute series of exclamation points. So while it’s true you can dance to this one, a casual ear to Sarah Barthel’s breathless lines reveals that “shake, shake, shake” may not refer to our booties after all. “I’m not your nervous feeling each time we say goodnight,” she sings, “I’m not your paranoia when someone’s at the door,” and, pointedly, “I’m not your drinking problem.” In this light the song’s title and Barthel’s “keep your body still” dictum become a kind of passive accusation. While the subject sits fretfully envisioning “buildings burning to the ground,” Barthel points to the bright side—“Can’t you see that you’re fine / and know that you’re still alive”—taking a cue from the beat and soothing social anxiety through inclusion.
