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CD reviews: Passion Pit, John Vanderslice
Passion Pit
‘Manners’
(Frenchkiss)
B+
It’s been a big year for Boston-based psych-poppers Passion Pit, who followed up last year’s well-received EP, a catchy DIY effort recorded by frontman Michael Angelakos as a Valentine’s Day gift for his girlfriend, with a strong showing at SXSW and a tour that will have the band on stage at several high-profile festivals, including Austin City Limits in October. The tour comes on the heels of their full-length debut, “Manners,” on which the full band joins Angelakos for a decidedly more polished set of songs, with the exception of the standout “Sleepyhead,” a holdover from the EP. The production, which is more reminiscent of bloated mainstream pop recordings than of the band’s indie roots, threatens to spoil the album, but Angelakos gets a pass on the strength of his introspective song writing style, which has matured since the release of the EP. Highlights include the punchy, synth-heavy “Little Secrets,” as well as “The Reeling,” an ’80s-esque dance number destined for remixing.
— Peter Mongillo
Passion Pit plays June 3 at Emo’s and in October at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
John Vanderslice
‘Romanian Names’
(Dead Oceans)
B+
After two musically elegant but lyrically clunky slices of post-9/11 liberal ennui, 2004’s “Pixel Revolt” and 2007’s “Emerald City,” San Francisco’s John Vanderslice returns with a vengeance to relevance in the intriguing “Romanian Names.”
Vanderslice largely abandons politics on his seventh album, settling instead for a series of intimate torch songs that combine his signature hi-fi analog sound with compellingly enigmatic lyrics. Opener “Tremble and Tear” combines propulsive acoustic guitar with vocals awash in reverb for a striking pop gem. Vanderslice even ventures outside his usual boundaries with “D.I.A.L.O.” and “Too Much Time,” both featuring a rare appearance of synthesizers.
That’s not to say Vanderslice never gets dark — the album’s best track, the violent “Forest Knolls,” features a constant heartbeat that evokes Edgar Allan Poe. But even the saddest tracks contain a glimmer of hope.
When Vanderslice pledges to look up to the nautically themed Carina Constellation in the superb song of the same name, there’s a sense that he’s trying to look as brightly on the future as he does on the stars in the Southern Sky. — Patrick Caldwell
John Vanderslice plays in October at the Austin City Limits Music Festival
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