PHANTOM BUFFALO ~ TAKE TO THE TREES ~ lp (TIME-LAG / RED RECORDS #3)

red records #3… well, its been a damn long time since we released their debut album, “shishimumu”, back when they were called THE PONYS, but we sure are happy there’s finally a proper follow-up, even if it took six years to happen. if anything, the long wait says something to the greatness & humility of the band; never bending to commercial concerns, ego, hype, or changing trends & changing times. in fact, “take to the trees” picks up just about right where “shishimumu” left off all those years back, another little nugget of timeless psychedelic pop perfection. of course, there is a new level of maturity and depth to the songwriting here, but there's still plenty of slightly naive & youthful charm… and to be certain, the world these guys create is just as surreal now as its always been… musically, things come together just right, with thick, swirling, chiming triple electric guitar textures, spot-on drumming, liquid but powerful bass, gurgling moog, acoustic strumming, accordion, and sweet soaring fuzz-tones. vocals hover as high & sweet as ever, harmonizing, doubling, and layering heavenly. the mood of the album floats through drifting fragile melancholy, quirky pop, crunchy psychedelic rockers and anthemic rave-ups, often all within the same track. beautifully recorded, but never over polished… just the way a great pop record should be. so forget all pretense, folks, maybe not "freak folk" enough for kill rock stars ain’t such a bad thing at all…

lp version : packaged in a lovely heavy weight 60s style gatefold cover with elaborate full color art by the band, plus an insert. pressed on 180gm bright red vinyl. hand numbered limited edition of 300 copies… first 150 copies come with a special BONUS CDR SINGLE featuring two outtakes deemed by the band “too downer” for the album. packaged in a color offset printed tri-fold cover with hand stamped disc art.

released july 2008.