Biography
Emerging from Maine’s rugged Portland coastline, the psychedelic songsmiths Phantom Buffalo launched their musical journey in 1998 under the moniker the Ponys. They retained that identity until 2004, when a naming conflict with a Chicago post-punk outfit prompted the adoption of their present title. Fronted by singer-guitarists Jonathan Balzano-Brookes and Tim Burns, whose dueling vocals defined the sound, the lineup also included guitarist Philip Willey, bassist Sean Newton, and drummer Joe Domrad. Their first album, Shishimumu, appeared in 2002 via the regional indie Time-Lag Records. Blending Moog-laden psych drones, Byrdsian twang, and literate indie pop, the record traveled overseas and drew the interest of Britain’s Rough Trade Records, which reissued it in 2005 under the band’s new name. An EP and the follow-up full-length Take to the Trees surfaced on Time-Lag in 2007, deepening the ensemble’s focus on cryptic melodic pop tales centered on animals, eccentric figures, and science fiction. Their experimental guitar-pop approach aligns with retro-’60s surrealists such as Of Montreal, the Essex Green, and other acts shaped by the Elephant 6 Collective aesthetic, leading to several shared bills with those groups. That exploratory spirit culminated in the 2010 release Cement Postcards with Owl Colours on the French indie Microcultures. Intimate yet expansive in reach, the set was captured largely live across just 18 hours and stands as the group’s most cohesive statement to date. In 2012 Phantom Buffalo pursued a still grander endeavor with their fourth album, the concept work Tadaloora, which presents vivid vignettes unfolding inside a fictional realm sharing the record’s title and was accompanied by an animated video adventure game created by the band itself.
Albums
