When Passion Pit featured on Pay No Mind, a single from Madeon, it had me believing that their next offering ‘Kindred‘ would explore the same genre. Far from that, the album is saccharine, campy, explorative, ironic and is nowhere close stylistically.
Mix the high pitched vocals of Mika and Adam Levine and some indie music that sounds like a throwback to the 80s and you get Passion Pit. The opener Lifted Up (1985) is an ode to his wife and the 80s generally, with the sound reminding you of the numerous campy pop numbers that graced the charts in that decade. Family is obviously important, but what’s even more important is the way Michael Angelakos’ style of weaving ironic lyrics with upbeat tunes steers your way through the rest of the album.
If Forrest Gump needed an addition to its OST, Whole Life Story would’ve been it. Whole Life Story is still the same beat laced campy tone that Lifted Up (1985) started with, amped up a little more than the opener and continuing with the same theme of family being by his side during a very public declaration of his mental health struggles.
Never mind the recurring 80s theme on the 10-track album, but Where The Sky Hangs begs to be the one nail that sticks out from the rest. Hints of what should’ve been the album drop in here and there, but as much as Kindred wants to move forward and explore a more futuristic sound, each song just sees us moving back into the 80s. Just take Five Foot Ten (I). Kindred studied the genres in the 80s, picked the popular ones and fashioned the album along those lines.
Angelakos’ skill at weaving ironic lyrics with synth/electro op comes to the fore with Until We Can’t (Let’s Go). He plays his vocal registers to the beat – a skill that steers him from start to finish of the album – making it the only reason you should pick up this follow up to 2012’s hugely popular Gossamer. All I’ll Ever Have is no different. Simple, heartfelt lyrics make this an addition to that feel-good playlist everyone has.
Seeing that the album was first streamed via Spotify in New Zealand, Dancing On The Grave sounds very much like music our Kiwi stars like Broods, Kimbra, and Lorde come out with. Very much Lorde-like in the lyrical sense and sounding like Kimbra’s to and fro with the instruments a la The Golden Echo, there is a brooding and yearning that adds some depth, although unlike the others that masquerade as danceable tunes, this one’s more literal.
Looks Like Rain is perfect in more ways than one. The song is a successful threeway with its lyrics, music and vocals working so well with each other that it’s a travesty they’ve placed it at the end. You almost wished you’d skipped some of the forgettable ones from the start to just get there. Family is back on My Brother Taught Me How To Swim. The high pitched vocals matches the music and makes for another memorable song. The tempo and the various bridges are probably the only reason why I listened to it on repeat despite the serious and personal lyricism involved in writing the record. At 2:45 minutes, Ten Feet Tall (II) closes the 38 minute record, although there is nothing much to write about on the subject itself.
While some of the tracks are definitely good, stretching out the 80s two and a half decades beyond its expiration is the album’s biggest letdown. Had Angelakos played with contemporary musical styles, the album would’ve been cohesive. The overdose of that era is just too much and begs you to switch the record off. Not that the 80s weren’t great, but there are people out there who’re making great music today and an album this good suffers because it keeps dragging itself into the past. Maybe it’s just me but I wish Pay No Mind was what this album was. Ditching the past is a good thing sometimes. I don’t want to wait another 20 years to hear what music in 2015 sounded like. If you are into raw lyrics, handsome high-pitched male vocalists and love to brood, then you’ll find your Kindred in Angelakos and his music.
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site.
