CONTEST: Passion Pit Ticket Giveaway!!

REVIEW OF PASSION PIT - MANNERS

Incredibly high falsetto-ed singing voices can't help but be sort of funny. That's just the way it is. Therefore, the major full length release by buzz band Passion Pit, which is entitled Manners, is going to make you smile, whether you like it or not. I suppose I could understand why some people might not like it. It is overly schmaltzy in parts, the ballads seem to occupy the same black hole that may have sucked in the likes of Howard Jones or The Motels, and if you don't like the 80's, well, then you may not even want to go here. But I'll be danged if it isn't just the most endearingly catchy album I've heard in ages.

Album opener Make Light is one of my faves, exploding right from the get- go, yet still managing to intensify as it carries on. Just when you think Michael Angelakos' voice couldn't get any higher, he continues to tighten his belt until the chorus comes along and intoxicates in an incredible glass shattering sort of way. Little Secrets is track two and it is probably the most infectious song on the album. A hyper amalgamation of disco and Jackson 5-ish soul, this should be this year's Time To Pretend. Even the children's singalong chorus doesn't irritate me the way that it should. Quite the contrary, it suits the song well and I think that I actually like it better than MGMT's anthem of last year. By the time we get to the first single from the album, track 4 The Reeling, it becomes obvious that Passion Pit are more than just a solid pop band. The hooks in these songs, coupled with Angelakos' introspective lyrics mean that these songs are not simply contagious pop songs that wear out their welcome upon repeat listening. No, these songs deserve to be delved into in a deeper fashion, once you've stopped dancing, of course. Take for example, a song like Eyes As Candles, which contains a singalong chorus composed of na-na's and hey-hey's, while still including inner directed moments, such as "I feel you rise above me the western landscape's towering, and from my shell of a body the flowers blossom for picking." Yes, in amongst the bubblegum hooks are some tortured lyrics that help to offset the whole package nicely.

Although Manners overall only shows a mild step up from the electro pop style of last year's Chunk Of Change EP, it certainly hints at the possiblity that while Angelakos is happy to play it relatively safe for now, he does have a lot of interesting ideas in his brain. I wouldn't be surprised if each successive album showcases a little bit more invention than the one before. For now though, he's undoubtedly satisfied to simply have us soaking in that crazy voice of his.

Above photo is by Elizabeth Weinberg
Myspace: Passion Pit
Video: Sleepyhead on youtube
Video: The Reeling on youtube

CONTEST: After a couple of failed attempts at coming to Toronto, Passion Pit are finally going to be playing Lee's Palace on Tuesday June 16th. Thanks to Sony Music Canada, I've got two tickets to give away to this show. If you're interested, please send off an email to quadb2001 [at] gmail [dot] com with the words "I Wanna Be In The Passion Pit" in the subject line, and your full name in the body.

Contest is now closed. Congrats to Alicia E. and thanks to all who entered.