{"id":47858,"date":"2019-03-11T13:42:34","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T13:42:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=47858"},"modified":"2019-03-11T13:42:34","modified_gmt":"2019-03-11T13:42:34","slug":"marianas-trench-phantoms-new-album-by-platinum-selling-canadian-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2019\/03\/marianas-trench-phantoms-new-album-by-platinum-selling-canadian-band\/","title":{"rendered":"MARIANAS TRENCH – ‘Phantoms’ – New Album By Platinum Selling Canadian Band"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are those who continue to insist that the album, as a format, is dead. However, with \u2018Phantoms\u2019, the successful Canadian pop rock act Marianas Trench<\/a>\u00a0prove\u00a0once again that reports\u00a0of its demise are greatly exaggerated.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\u201cI think we are going to see more artists releasing singles and not really doing albums anymore,\u201d\u00a0says songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist Josh Ramsay,\u00a0\u201cbut that doesn\u2019t really inspire me.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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What does\u00a0inspire him\u00a0is creating a self-contained universe for his songs to exist in, which on\u00a0\u2018Phantoms’ happens to be a house possessed by the spirit of lingering loss and inhabited by somebody who has\u00a0 been driven to madness by the ghost of a former love.<\/div>\n
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The band drill deeply into the consequences of that loss on the song \u2018I Knew You When\u2019, which showcases Ramsay\u2019s staggering vocal range and his group\u2019s ample musical chops in equal measure.<\/div>\n
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\u201cA lot of love songs look at the easy things,\u201d\u00a0he continues.\u00a0“\u2019I Knew You When\u2019 is about having a long history with\u00a0someone, accepting the faults in each other, acknowledging it\u2019s going to get messy, and still being up for it.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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As on their four previous records, Marianas Trench draw on long-established strengths such as heavily layered harmonies and blazing guitars set against club-worthy beats, although \u2018Phantoms\u2019 also finds them pushing their boundaries, both musically and lyrically.<\/div>\n
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\u201cEach time we do an album, I try and write something\u00a0that\u2019s out of my vocal reach that forces me to get better,\u201d\u00a0explains Ramsay, adding that his bandmates\u00a0–\u00a0guitarist Matt Webb,\u00a0bassist\u00a0Mike Ayley\u00a0and drummer Ian Casselman –\u00a0are equally dedicated to stretching their limits.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOnce we had the idea that everything was set in a haunted house, it immediately suggested a sonic landscape.\u00a0So,\u00a0if it sounded creepy, I\u2019d use it.\u201d\u00a0Ramsay points to the\u00a0hauntingly manic\u00a0\u2018Echoes Of\u00a0You\u2019 (which also\u00a0features Roger Joseph Manning Jr of Jellyfish) as an example of this.\u00a0\u201cBut, the goal is always to\u00a0write a\u00a0set of\u00a0songs\u00a0that complement each other, not just go chasing hits.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Several songs on\u00a0\u2018Phantoms\u2019\u00a0stand out as obvious singles, including urgent beat-driven tunes such as \u2018Only the Lonely Survive\u2019 and \u2018Don\u2019t Miss Me?\u2019 to the borderline power ballad \u2018Glimmer\u2019. However, listening to the record\u00a0in full is the best way for listeners to find the room that suits them best among the\u00a0many in the house the band has built.\u00a0From the jaw-dropping a cappella opener, \u2018Eleonora\u2019, to the unapologetically epic closer \u2018The\u00a0Killing\u00a0Kind\u2019,\u00a0with its deep orchestration, ripping guitars and vocal gymnastics, the sheer emotional weight and brutal honesty displayed on\u00a0\u2018Phantoms\u2019 will leave a lasting impression.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s about messy, real-life love with consequences; the kind of relationship that takes years to build,\u201d Ramsay summarises.\u00a0\u201cEverybody has that experience, and I think \u2018Phantoms\u2019 will allow people to connect\u00a0their own stories to the ones that we are sharing.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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In addition to forming and fronting Marianas Trench, Josh Ramsay is a successful producer and writer for a wide range of other artists that include Carly Rae Jepsen, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Simple Plan, Faber Drive, Emily Osment and Nickelback. Working primarily out of a studio he owns in Vancouver, he can play 13 instruments\u00a0and often performs everything on the songs he produces. One of his most successful works is\u00a0\u2018Call Me Maybe\u2019 by Carly Rae Jepsen, which was nominated for a Grammy.<\/div>\n
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Find out more about Marianas Trench on their official website<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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