Posts tagged "indie pop"
New Music: Passion Pit’s Gossamer
Music / Reviews

New Music: Passion Pit’s Gossamer

by Carl Laamanen on Aug 9, 2012 • 3 Comments

Note: My references to lead singer Michael Angelakos’ ongoing battle with mental illness come from this superb article from Pitchfork—Rite of Passion. Hearing his story gives Gossamer an added urgency and depth; be forewarned, however, the article is not for the faint of heart, as it deals quite frankly with these issues.  

Maybe due to its frenzied electronic backdrop or lead singer Michael Angelakos’ piercing falsetto, Passion Pit’s inaugural 2009 album Manners didn’t seem like much more than another, albeit fantastic, indie-pop dance album at the time of its release. In fact, I remember dancing to several of the songs…

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New Music: The Walkmen’s Heaven
Music / Reviews

New Music: The Walkmen’s Heaven

by Carl Laamanen on Jul 5, 2012 • 2 Comments

The title track on the newest Walkmen record Heaven, seems to suggest that heaven, at least in the realm of human relationships, does not come easy, placing the band on the periphery of the cheery perfection of love promised by many modern day pop songs. In keeping with the band’s encouragement on this track to “remember, remember, all we fight for,” their approach to their craft throughout the thirteen songs on Heaven, although bathed in a pop sheen, reveals a deep, mature take on the pop music genre tempered by age and experience. Heaven being my first encounter with The…

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New Music: fun.’s Some Nights
Music / Reviews

New Music: fun.’s Some Nights

by Carl Laamanen on Mar 15, 2012 • 5 Comments

I first heard fun. a few years ago when a friend of mine put “The Gambler” from their debut album Aim and Ignite on a mix that he played as we drove back to school after a break. At the time I remember liking the song, but not pursuing the band’s work any further, which, in retrospect, was a mistake. A few weeks ago, I was alerted via tweet that fun. had made Aim and Ignite available for free in promotion of their soon-to-be-released album Some Nights. The marketing strategy worked, as I downloaded Aim and Ignite, was promptly blown away…

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