 | Matt & Kim |
Well there have certainly been a lot of big releases so far this year that have been much ballyhooed and that I have thoroughly enjoyed, notably the Animal Collective and Andrew Bird albums. Well the same week that those two albums came out, another album hit, Matt & Kim’s ‘Grand’, and I have to say I am enjoying this one as much if not more than those other two. They have put together a perfect mix of sloppy dance beats and synths and basic vocals into a truly awesome mix for this album. This thing is damn good.
This would probably largely fall within the electronic category but it doesn’t have a distant mechanical feel to it at all and feels incredibly organic throughout, which just lends a great almost garage rock quality to it. You put that kind of fun ethic over the album and put it with some incredibly well crafted songs and you have a damn fine album. It isn’t really dance, it isn’t really rock, but it just kind of exists somewhere in between, similar to MGMT, with enough familiarity to get you bumping your head but also a different feel and sound. Also, the one thing that is great about this album is it really sounds ‘fun’ in almost every way. Where a lot of albums go into darker territory with their sound, or really get technical and precise, this one sounds like they could just be busting out on a streetcorner or something. It has a great DIY sound that makes this thing just cool.
“Daylight” is one of the great tracks so far this year for sure, and a killer way to kick off the album. “Cutdown” brings in some more of the synths for a fairly smooth breakdown. “Good Ole Fashioned Nightmare” might be my favorite song on this album and is also one of the killer tracks of the year so far. The jumpy piano coupled with the stomp-tastic drum beat just makes a cool fucking song. “Spare Change” is similar but a short interlude which leads into “I Wanna”. “I Wanna” is a nice upbeat synth-y organ-y Moog-y song that has a crazy polka feel to it that leads into a great bridge. “Lessons Learned” starts with a steady drum beat and some atmospheric female ‘da da da’s which bring in the synths. Yet another fucking awesome song. The way the shout-y vocals mix with the subtle synths and female backing vocals is perfect. Then halfway they jump in with this spacey Joy Division “Atmosphere”/New Order-y kind of synth to lead out, which just suits the song so well. I really want to hear this one live.
“Don’t Slow Down” is another steady drum beat and almost goofy synth line, but it just works really well and is a pretty danceable song. This one reminds me of Hot Chip or something. “Turn This Boat Around” is a slower song with a dreamy Beach Boys’ “California Girls” intro kind of synth on it. “Cinders” is a sped up instrumental that is just synth madness over a fast drum beat. Doesn’t do much except it could probably get some people dancing as a nice interlude. The kind of song I could see them drag out into a 5 minute dance jam live. “I’ll Take You Home” is yet another kick-ace song on this album that just has the perfect beat, and quite a memorable chorus on it as well. Also yet another song on here that just sounds downright perfect. They reprise “Daylight” in a slower more steady version of the song to close the album, which again isn’t a bad thing because that song pretty much kicks ass.
I love this album. It pretty much rules. It kind of reminds me of MGMT’s album from last year with a lot of the same electro-retro kind of vibe to it, but with a more fun, DIY kind of vibe to it. The drum beats and shouts just really sound like street music at times and it is a very cool thing. They also have put together some of the more memorable songs so far this year for me, and I can’t see getting sick of this one anytime soon. The one thing is that after hearing this album I REALLY REALLY want to see these guys live because I bet that they would absolutely slay this album live. It lends itself so well to a live show, and I bet they kill with it. Fortunately for me and everyone else, they are on tour opening for another band that 100% kills it live, Cut Copy. Tour dates are below.
Tour Dates:
Feb 26 2009 8:00P Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland
Feb 27 2009 8:00P Skulley’s Columbus, Ohio
Feb 28 2009 8:00P Skull Alley Louisville, Kentucky
Mar 1 2009 8:00P Pilot Light knoxville, Tennessee
Mar 3 2009 8:00P Bottletree Birmingham, Alabama
Mar 4 2009 8:00P Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mar 6 2009 8:00P Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater w/ cut copy Austin, Texas
Mar 7 2009 8:00P Granada Theater w/ cut copy Dallas, Texas
Mar 9 2009 8:00P The Glass House w/ cut copy Pomona, California
Mar 10 2009 8:00P Henry Fonda Theater w/ cut copy Los Angeles, California
Mar 11 2009 9:00P Henry Fonda Theater w/ cut copy Los Angeles
Mar 12 2009 7:00P The Fillmore Auditorium w/ cut copy San Francisco, California
Mar 13 2009 8:00P House of Blues w/ cut copy Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar 15 2009 8:00P Bluebird Theater w/ cut copy Denver, Colorado
Mar 17 2009 10:00 Gargoyle Club w/ cut copy St. Louis, Missouri
Mar 18 2009 7:00P Vic Theatre w/ cut copy chicago, Illinois
Mar 20 2009 9:00P Circa Nightclub w/ cut copy Toronto, Ontario
Mar 21 2009 8:00P Terminal 5 w/ cut copy New York, New York
Mar 22 2009 8:00P House of Blues w/ cut copy Boston, Massachusetts
Mar 23 2009 8:00P 9:30 Club w/ cut copy Washington DC, Washington DC
Mar 24 2009 8:30P Cats Cradle w/cut copy Carrboro
Mar 26 2009 8:00P Masquerade (Heaven Room) w/ cut copy Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 27 2009 8:00P Club Firestone w/cut copy Orlando, Florida
Mar 28 2009 8:00P churchill’s pub Miami, Florida
Mar 29 2009 8:00P Tampa Tampa, Florida
Mar 30 2009 8:00P Club Downunder Tallahassee, Florida
Mar 31 2009 8:00P common ground Gainesville, Florida
Apr 1 2009 8:00P 40 Watt Club Athens, Georgia
Apr 2 2009 8:00P Emerald Lounge Asheville, North Carolina
Apr 3 2009 8:00P The Canal Club Richmond, Virginia
