| PASSION PIT - Big Day Out 2010 Artist |
| Written by Elle Hunt |
| Thursday, 10 December 2009 22:38 |
 Some bands suit seasons. Interpol is perfect for winter; Neko Case’s tunes are autumnal. And then there’s PASSION PIT, and there’s no doubt about it: Passion Pit makes music for summer. It’s unabashed, highlighter-yellow, boy-meets-girl synth-pop: all “nah-nah-nah-HEY” (‘To Kingdom Come’), anthemic choruses, infectious hooks, high-pitched vocals. Their debut album ‘Manners’, was released in May of this year, but it’s not until now - seven months later, that it’s come into its own. Like ‘LP’ by Discovery, and ‘Grand’ by Matt & Kim, both of which were also released in 2009; ‘Manners’ is best heard in December through to March. It acts as the perfect soundtrack for trips to the beach, swims in the river, barbeques, parties with friends, and fleeting romances. Passion Pit was a project born of love, and not just love for the music. Singer-keyboardist Michael Angelakos compiled a four-track EP entitled ‘Chunk of Change’, as a gift for his then-girlfriend. Somehow, these songs found a following within Angelakos’ college, and the power of the Internet took it from there. Now, Passion Pit is a five-piece band based in Boston; they’ve been named #25th in Last.fm’s ‘Best of 2009’, and ‘Manners’ has been one of the most acclaimed albums of the year. Certainly, they’ve come a long way from their humble beginnings, and that crude mixtape. First single ‘The Reeling’ was well-received by both fans and critics, and no wonder: it sounds unlike anything else on the radio. Imagine gleeful Bee Gees falsetto vocals paired with swirling sythns, and a smart hi-hat beat, and you’ve got an idea of Passion Pit’s distinctive sound. It’s sparkling, it’s playful, and it’s invigorating – and as much as that might sound like the description of a cheap wine, ‘Manners’ goes to your head a lot quicker.  It was ‘Sleepyhead’, originally recorded for the ‘Chunk of Change’ EP, that drew attention to the band in the first place. It’s a lurching, woozy track, built around a sample of ‘Oro Mo Bhaidin’ by Irish harpist Mary O’Hara, with a hard-hitting synth riff and a bass drum that kicks. Not only has it been remixed by The Knocks, Starsmith, Streetlab and Landau; among others, Ellie Goulding and Run Toto Run have already covered it – and imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Certainly, Passion Pit’s songs are a dream to remix, as they’re built upon simple riffs and ideas that can be easily manipulated and reworked, while retaining that sense of spirit and irreverence that’s at the heart of ‘Manners’. And then there’s ‘Little Secrets’, which is more or less the ultimate summer anthem: “Let this be our little secret/no-one needs to know we’re feeling/Higher and higher and higher...”. Its use of children to sing the hook emphasises that sense of naive charm that floods the album: take the jitteriness of ‘Folds In Your Hands’, the screeching synths of ‘Eyes As Candles’, the feverish pace of ‘Make Light’. Final track ‘Seaweed Song’ is one of the few songs on the album in which Angelakos takes the pedal off the floor for a moment. Its ponderous piano chords act as a foundation for his falsetto, which is reflective and grand (“Nobody knows you the way you know you, but I think I do”): the perfect closing track for a head rush of an album. In conclusion, Passion Pit could not be a more perfect artist for the Big Day Out 2010. Line up, get to the front, and lose yourself in the ethereal, giddy tunes that make up ‘Manners’. And then, following January 15th, you can put it to bed for six months, until this time next year, when it will come into season again: it’s that kind of album. Until then, listen to some Neko Case.  |
