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When I first caught wind of the rumor that Phantom Planet’s newest album found them abandoning their amazingly unique brand of power-pop for the overhyped-genre-of-the-moment garage rock, my first instinct was to curl up in the fetal position as the apocalypse slowly began decimating what was left of my world. Turns out my overly dramatic reaction was completely unnecessary.

“Phantom Planet,” the band’s eponymous third album, is about as much of a departure as a band can take. Before even hearing one note of the album I quickly jumped to the conclusion that my favorite band had completely sold out in an effort to duplicate the relative success of critical darlings The Strokes and White Stripes. This was an even more curious move considering the band had finally achieved a significant level of mainstream recognition as their infectious single “California” was chosen as the theme song for Fox’s breakout drama “The O.C.” It also seemed somewhat of an eerie coincidence that drummer Jason Schwartzman decided to leave the band in the midst of the recording sessions.

I was mildly confused, to say the least. Here was a band I had discovered way back in 1998 as “So I Fall Again” blared over the sound system of the Times Square Virgin Megastore. I had never really heard anything quite like it. Here was a song that was pure, unadulterated bliss; candy for my ears. After the deejay announced the name of the band, I ran to the “P” section and grabbed “Phantom Planet is Missing,” the band’s debut album. It instantly became my favorite record and Phantom Planet were my new favorite band.

And it’s been that way ever since. I finally got to see them perform live at Irving Plaza back in the fall of 2001, and though they had abandoned most of their old material (I would still commit murder to hear “Recently Distressed” live) it was still a great show. I wrote a review of “Is Missing” for my school paper, The Brown and White, and even got it linked to the band’s fan site, www.phantomplanetfamily.com, courtesy of fan club president Suzanne.

Phantom Planet’s second album, “The Guest,” was everything I could have ever asked for. It was an excellent follow-up, containing songs that you find yourself unknowingly singing aloud as people stare at you on the street. The record would clock in at #3 on my year-end best-of list.

In January of 2002 I got an e-mail from Suzanne saying that the band was playing a private show at some building in midtown for Levi Jeans employees, and that if I got back to her fast enough I would be admitted to this little gig. I got to that building as fast as possible, caught the tail-end of some Levi bigwig’s motivational speech, and watched the band play a killer set with about 10 other people. There was no platform, so the band was eye-level with us. Afterwards I got to talk very briefly with lead singer Alex Greenwald and guitarist Darren Robinson. It was one hell of an experience.

While you may be thinking to yourself “what the hell do these stories have to do with anything?” I’d agree that in general they’d be more appropriate on a Phantom Planet message board, but I’m using them to illustrate how much I like this band. Plus, it’s my web site so I can defy convention all I want.

Needless to say, I really had no idea what to expect from this album. But my fears were for naught as Phantom Planet have turned out another outstanding record. Have they completely abandoned power-pop for garage rock? Well, on the outset it sure sounds like it; the guitars are wildly distorted and the rhythm section has been pushed way up to the front and Sam Farrar’s bass practically steals the show. The songs have a frenetic, grungy energy, but upon repeated listens, this album shows that Phantom Planet is a band that’s unafraid to experiment with their sound and wound up being wildly successful because of it.

“Phantom Planet” doesn’t have the same sunny hooks as “The Guest” and “Is Missing,” but it’s still a hook-fest, you just have to listen more carefully to find them. Above all Phantom Planet has always been about the hooks, and though they’re more subversive on this effort, the songs are so good that they’ll still wind their way into your head. Additionally, though the vocals have been mixed down somewhat, Greenwald still has one of the best voices in the business, and this is what separates the band from most of the other garage-rock garbage: They have a vocalist that can actually sing.

The disc kicks off with the urgent “The Happy Ending,” an excellent, energetic album starter. “Badd Business” and “Big Brat” are both punky and catchy as hell. “1st Things 1st” has a very cool, loungey vibe, and “Making a Killing” has an excellent riff and effortlessly catchy chorus. The band begins to show traces of its old self on “You’re Not Welcome Here,” “By the Bed” and “After Hours,” and ends very similarly to the way it began with “The Meantime.”

This stylistic change, whether calculated or not, shows that Phantom Planet has the potential to be one of the greatest bands of our generation. I often throw around the superlative “Beatle-esque,” especially with a group as talented as these guys are, but I think the compliment is even more appropriate now. The Beatles were a great pop band that turned into the greatest band of all time as they started experimenting, but they never lost their inherent pop sensibilities. While I wouldn’t mind seeing an eventual return to power-pop, Phantom Planet has overwhelmed me once again in showcasing their musical diversity. Excellent work.