SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PHANTOM HANDSHAKES – NO MORE SUMMER SONGS

Phantom Handshakes
No More Summer Songs
Z Tapes

It just might be that boundaries are going away, at least, as far as music is concerned. New York duo Matt Sklar and Federica Tassano that work as Phantom Handshakes, have released their second album No More Summer Songs through an indie label in Slovakia. It should be no big surprise, as there are discerning music aficionados throughout the world. There always were.

If you wonder about the title, the duo had the idea to follow their debut Be Estranged as some sort of a continuation of expressing how they feel about the summer as a general idea. That debut was supposed to be their summer album in full swing. No More Summer Songs it seems is all about those clear, warm memories of summer and all it brings along as it slowly slips away.

Essentially, that is exactly what we get. Mixed with hefty doses of what some would call twee pop of Sarah Records output, filtered through the ears of Belle & Sebastian and The Clientele with just a solid dose of The Beach Boys in their All Summer Long phase, idea-wise.

And it all works with a lot of charm and grace. Sklar and Tassano know exactly what they’re doing and why, and they basically don’t miss a step on No More Summer Songs. Not sure whether they have any more summer songs left in them or not, but these will work quite well… all summer long. Any summer, that is.

Artist Links