Manners

The new electronica pop band that seemed to explode overnight with their Chunk of Change EP is back on the scene with their first full length release, Manners. Passion Pit virtually came out of nowhere and took the whole damn indie scene by storm.

Chunk of Change was an innocent, doe-eyed EP with simple songs about love. Abnormally cute with an endearing falsetto leading the band, "Sleepyhead" was the acclaimed hit. Fans waited and wanted more.

Now, finally, Manners has leaked, and there's something different about Passion Pit. They're still the same electronic dance band they promised to be, but with a sound that's more fleshed out and fuller they lose that charming rawness that was so apparent on the EP. Fans of the EP, however, will be happy to know that "Sleepyhead" is left unchanged.

By no means am I less inclined to dance when I hear any of the new songs, it's just a bit of a... disappointment? Maybe that's not the right word. I still quite like Passion Pit. I even had the fortunate chance of catching them during SXSW, and it was a fun show. I feel as though Manners is going to be a huge hit or miss with fans, and well, it was a miss with this one.

Inspiration strikes at odd hours

Well, first thing's first. I don't plan on posting every day, but recently I've felt compelled to put my feelings about Merriweather Post Pavilion in words. Yes, it's been reviewed to death, but this is a particularly important album in my life, I feel.

Animal Collective has the uncanny ability to CONSISTENTLY put out phenomenal albums. Feels, Strawberry Jam, Sung Tongs... all are albums that are more or less revered. So what makes Merriweather Post Pavilion deserve all the praise and attention it has been getting?

It's the biggest pop album Animal Collective has put out thus far, but that trippy, surrealist ambiance they've created around their band remains. The fusion of these two musical spheres marry so wonderfully and have produced something so perfect, it left me stiff after the first revolution. Merriweather Post Pavilion is a labor of love. It is nothing other than that.

First tasting the album with "In the Flowers", how do I feel? I feel exactly the same way the first time I heard it. Every. Single. Time. In that moment where the bottom disappears, and you fall right through the floor, you feel exactly what this album is about. It's about letting every note, chord wash over you. Breathe it in, don't open your eyes, this is for the music lovers.

It's quite impossible to pick a favorite song from this album. There will always be the most popular ones, "My Girls" and "Brother Sport", but each song has an equal amount of care sewn between the measures.

I feel that as a whole, Merriweather Post Pavilion is mature. It is sensitive. I once spent a revolution of this album in my boyfriend's arms, and there's something about "Bluish" that helps me recreate that moment fully. It's sweet and memorable.

You know what Animal Colletive has on their side? The fucking power of love, man.

It's like, 2:30 AM

I'm listening to "True Love Waits" on repeat.

What the fuck is new? Fucking Clues. Clues is new, and it is some good ass shit.




So you know me, right? You might. If you do, you know I loved/love The Unicorns, and they're in my top ten favorite bands of all time. Like any other diehard Unicorns aficionado, I was devastated to hear that The Unicorns were dead back in 2004. The lovechild of Nick Thorburn and Alden Penner would be no more. RIP Unicorns.

So Nick Thorburn goes and forms Islands, they put out Return to the Sea, it's successful, yadayada, you know that story. Alden Penner, however, sinks into obscurity. He composes the soundtrack for The Hamster Cage in 2005, but where does he go after that? WHO KNOWS??

In 2007, who shows up at Pop Montreal??? Alden Penner! And with the new project Clues! Now, I hold this dude in high esteem. He's everything I want in a good musician. Talented and so much more than passionate. He doesn't give a shit about being a rock star, he just wants to make music.

What stands out to me about Clues' debut self-titled album are the parallels to The Unicorns. Clues has all the pre-existing darkness of The Unicorns that Islands lacks. It's apparent that this album is a labor of love. Years in the making, Alden Penner fans around the globe are rejoicing at this new release. The opener "Haarp" punches you in the throat about five seconds in and commands your attention. The highs and lows of this song match the highs and lows of this album as a whole. Standout songs like "You Have My Eyes Now" and "Let's Get Strong" leave me with a fuzzy feeling that tells me yes, Alden Penner is back, and he is STILL badass.

Furthermore, like a boss, Clues has made the conscious decision to not join any networking sites like Myspace or Facebook, so they can build a hype naturally. How it should be.
To hear The Unicorns: http://www.myspace.com/theunicornsband
To hear Clues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkq1PuJyXjc