{"id":161884,"date":"2020-10-03T00:00:24","date_gmt":"2020-10-03T04:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/25yearslatersite.com\/?p=161884"},"modified":"2024-04-16T23:34:34","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T03:34:34","slug":"whats-the-buzz-matt-berrys-phantom-birds-shonen-jump-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvobsessive.com\/2020\/10\/03\/whats-the-buzz-matt-berrys-phantom-birds-shonen-jump-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Matt Berry’s Phantom Birds, Shonen Jump, and More!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to What\u2019s the Buzz<\/strong>, where members of our staff provide you with recommendations on a weekly basis. This week, Rachel Stewart<\/a> is listening to Matt Berry’s Phantom Birds<\/strong>, Jason Sheppard<\/a> is listening to the War of the World<\/strong>s soundtrack, and John Bernardy<\/a> is listening to podcasts about Shonen Jump<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n


\n

Matt Berry\u2019s Phantom Birds<\/em> is the Real Thing<\/h2>\n

Rachel<\/strong>: I\u2019ve been a Matt Berry since, well, ever. The IT Crowd<\/em>, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace<\/em>, Toast of London<\/em>, Year of the Rabbit<\/em><\/a>, and What We Do In the Shadows<\/em><\/a>—if Matt Berry\u2019s been in it, I\u2019ve probably seen it. It was actually Darkplace<\/em> that made me hip to the fact that Berry is also a talented singer as well as top notch comedian. (The cold stone classic \u201cOne Track Lover<\/a>\u201d\u00a0 features both skills, although ’80s synth pop is not his typical style.)<\/p>\n

Berry\u2019s discography up to this point has been an eclectic mix of experimental progressive rock (Music for Insomniacs<\/em><\/a>), which even included an entire album of plucky British TV theme covers (Television Themes<\/em><\/a>). (The Doctor Who<\/em> theme cover is especially rad, man.)\u00a0 His latest offering, entitled Phantom Birds<\/em>, is a beautiful love letter to 1970s rock, folk and even shades of Americana. Each track flows easily into the next, making one of those perfect on-repeat records for lazy days that drift towards sunsets. Lyrically, the songs are filled with longing, doubt, questions, and goodbyes. In \u201cYou Danced All Night,\u201d he reflects on a lover who\u2019s left him:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen trust is dead<\/p>\n

Good will has fled<\/p>\n

The whole circus has moved south<\/p>\n

Pull my head from the tiger\u2019s mouth<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I heard you danced all night<\/p>\n

Gotta do what you feel\u2019s right<\/p>\n

Sounds like you\u2019re doing fine<\/p>\n

You crouched down, and no goodbye<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What the hell was that sound?<\/p>\n

Sounded close, sounded loud<\/p>\n

Like a horse who jumped his cart<\/p>\n

It was the sound of my broken heart\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The seasons are changing, and this album feels like it dropped at the perfect moment as autumn rolls around. It\u2019s at once accessible, pensive and poetic. I\u2019ve mentioned more than once that this year has been hard, and music has been a balm as the days blur together. It feels like Berry has captured the ebbing summer and oncoming autumn all at once.<\/p>\n

As he sings on \u201cYellow Bird\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA harvest moon in summer<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s most vibrant colour<\/p>\n

A love to match no other\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n