'Manners' is an album from a band that fall comfortably into the electro genre. Much of the album combines tight electronic drum loops with bright tuneful synth patterns that are brought to life by Michael Angelakos' (lead vocals) expressive and often digitally enhanced voice.
Passion Pit's catchy hooks and upbeat sounds are appealing, and while band is merely working within the realms of electropop and indie (and nothing more) the alto voice of Angelakos makes the Passion Pit sound distinguishable from the likes of Hot Chip. The lyrical content is even of a passable and at times almost poetic standard.
Throughout the album, Passion Pit seems to continually latch on to catchy and memorable hooks, and most of the songs are highly listen-to-able. The album peaks in the song 'Sleepyhead' where the use of a vocal audio sample sets the song apart from the others. The thumping drums and clap sounds give the song an anthemic quality which makes for a satisfying and club friendly experience.
The album, while enjoyable, does not live up to the high standards of Passion Pit's EP 'Chunk of Change' and does not even deviate far from the sound of the EP. With little organic instrumentation the albums electronic sound and the bands song formula can become slightly repetitive. At times Passion Pit seem to be limited in their use of sounds and while this helps to imprint the Passion Pit sound into the album, it removes from the possibility of longevity for these songs.
This is not a versatile album, this is not a revolutionary album. But one cant help but be drawn in by Angelakos's wailing voice, if only for a few songs. Passion Pit do not shy away from using electronic analogue sounds, they have a sound, and they stick to it on 'Manners'. The album is worth owning, and is amongst the most enjoyable electro albums of the year so far. 'Manners' is not revolutionary, it hovers above mediocre and caters for its audience effectively. The cheerful sound and optimistic feeling that many of the songs exude make the album worthwhile nonetheless.
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Following the success of their 'Chunk Of Change' EP, 'Manners' is the debut full-length ... more
release from Massachusetts based five-piece Passion Pit. While 'Chunk Of Change' featured tracks recorded on a laptop, giving it a lo-fi personal feel, the album se...
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