OVERALL ALBUM GRADE: B

Burlesque-rock band Phantomime released its EP “The Heist” on Sept. 5. The EP is packed with interesting and catchy songs, with a bit of edge and eeriness. The instrumental side to the EP is fun to listen to. No song on it is quite like the other because the music changes to a different feel and sound in each song. The piano and the guitar are the best part of the EP. The sound is a mixture of darkness and liveliness. The sound resembles that of Panic! At the Disco or Fall Out Boy. The members collide a lot of harsh sounds with different instruments at once. This sounds awesome in some of the songs, such as “Masquerade,” but in others, it comes out sounding sloppy, such as in the ending of “The Chauffeur” and throughout “Vanity Affair.”

In these different, sinful sounding songs, the vocals were flat and sounded unprofessional. While the vocalist did have great moments on the EP, especially with his range in “Invisible Hand,” he didn’t sound passionate in most of the songs. It sounded more like he was only singing the words, compared to singing the feelings behind the words and getting the message across that the song is trying to send. Along with this, the vocals get a little sloppy. It’s hard to hear him over the instruments at points. When he reaches higher notes it seems as if he is struggling and his voice sounds somewhat nasally.

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Masquerade

This song has an unusual touch with what sounds like a piano. The beat is catchy, making the song danceable.The instruments in the song definitely make up for the vocals, which sounded a little amateur. The main thing the song lacked was passion in the vocals.

• Instruments: A
• Vocals: C
• Catchiness: A
• Lyrics: A
• Creativity: B

Invisible Hand  *BEST SONG*

This song is hands-down the best on the EP. The music is fun, with an awesome melody, the piano very upbeat. This, similar to “Masquerade,” is also a great song to dance to. The vocals improved a lot in this song; it sounds as if the singer is having fun singing and he goes through a whole range of notes, really showing off what his voice can do.

• Instruments: A
• Vocals: A
• Catchiness: A
• Lyrics: A
• Creativity: A

The Chaffeur

Calling all Fall Out Boy fans, this is the song for you. This song sounds very similar to something Fall Out Boy would do. While the song is very catchy, it seemed repetitive and the instruments and vocals didn’t flow together. Toward the end of the song, there was too much going on with all the different instruments. While this may have been what they were going for, the instruments here clash too much and does not sound good. This ends up taking away from the rest of the song.

• Instruments: B
• Vocals: B
• Catchiness: A
• Lyrics: B
• Creativity: C

Vanity Affair

In this song it seems as though the band let their creativity run wild, but their additions to the song to make it sound unique and cool, didn’t fit. The vibraphone was too much with the song; it seemed misplaced as if it didn’t belong. It was too loud, which overpowered the vocals and the other instruments when it didn’t seem like it should have been the main focus. The ending of the song also didn’t flow very well, with the sci-fi effect added. Because so much is going on in the song, it doesn’t sound like the band members are working together and are only focusing on their specific instrument, which adds to the song not flowing well.

• Instruments: C
• Vocals: B
• Catchiness: B
• Lyrics: A
• Creativity: A

Laodicea

The intro to this song was eerily beautiful, and the instrumental part kept up with this throughout the whole song. The only issue with this song was the vocals came out flat and the vocalist did not sound interested in the song while he was singing it. It sounded as if he was reading the lyrics off a page, and not paying any attention to what those lyrics mean. The vocals didn’t seem to fit the song very well, except for in the chorus and some of the backup vocals. At points the backup vocals and the lead vocal would be a little off from each other when they would start singing.

• Instruments: A
• Vocals: C
• Catchiness: A
• Lyrics: B
• Creativity: A

Pail & Shovel  *WORST SONG*

This song could’ve been great with an amazing instrumental, but the vocals destroyed the song. The entire time it sounded as if the vocalist from the band was struggling to reach the higher notes, and the duet did not work. The vocals did not go together well at all. At points, it sounded like a hot mess. It sounded like listening to two people singing karaoke, not two singers recording a song.

• Instruments: A
• Vocals: F
• Catchiness: F
• Lyrics: C
• Creativity: B