The Sigla Blog

Phantom Buffalo
Shishimumu ****

The band-formerly-known as Pony return with a new name, a great album and some of the best artwork you’re ever likely to see on a CD cover. Based on Shishimumu, no American band does the chameleon thing as well as these guys. On the folk hush of ‘Golden Finish’, Jonathan Balzano-Brookes’ vocals weave softly alongside a Moog, reminding this reviewer of Australian band Sodastream. The alt country vein continues with ‘Silverish’ and ‘Anywhere With Oxygen’, a musical oxymoron with a jaunty beat that boasts a sorrowful slide guitar that would break your heart. Comparisons with Will Oldham . if he had a secret upbeat twin . will abound, as on the brilliantly titled ‘Wimp Soufflé’ and ‘Missing Parachute’. They never cross the tracks into BPB land of heartbreak, rooting themselves firmly in jangly guitar-pop, Americana style. They’re just as happy being hushed (’Parasidic Wedding Vows’) or playful (’Cheer Up My Man’). Best of all is the psychedelic oomph of ‘A Hilly Town’, a song whose melodies are so infectious, you’ll keep skipping back to the start just to hear the bassline. They’ve moved on from their mid-90s punk past, it still resonates in their sound and if you listen carefully on tracks like ‘Distracting Salamander’ you can hear it. Their eclectic sound draws in so many styles that the nearest musical reference . and it’s a lofty one . is the encyclopaedic musical range of someone like Jim O’Rourke. A real treat.

Info: www.phantombuffalo.com