Passion Pit - Gossamer

When I first heard Passion Pit back in 2009, I was drawn in by their interesting take on synth pop, with their harmonic vocals and synthesised orchestration gliding over the backing of insane blippery.

This was certainly prevalent on their 2008 EP 'Chunk Of Change', but more prominently on their 2009 album 'Manners', which included such tracks as 'The Reeling', 'Little Secrets' and the more solid band based track 'To Kingdom Come'. I was really impressed and found that both EP and album ended up sound tracking my summer that year.

So, when I heard that the band had released their widely anticipated second album 'Gossamer' earlier this year, I made sure I grabbed myself a copy and had a listen. So far, I haven't stopped listening all week

Gossamer

 



It is clear from the first few minutes into 'Take A Walk' from Gossamer that Passion Pit's second album marks a transition from their previous sound. 

The trademarks of the band remain in the jaunty, punchy anthems that stretch high into the stratosphere as they did on their earlier work, along with the disjointed arrangements and 'chipmunk' style vocals that seep through at off tempo moments. Tracks such as the power pop should-be-single 'I'll Be Alright', the r'n'b Kanye Westesque lilt of 'Constant Conversations' and the stomping anthem of 'Hideaway' showcase these elements in all their glorious form.

But this album is very different and appears as a more brooding and darker collection. The album's opening track 'Take A Walk' tackles a more daunting subject matter where the narrator (Michael Angelakos as lead vocalist) tells the story of how his life has taken a turn for the worse following a series of bad life decisions.

The darkness also shows in the attitude that the tracks assert towards a loved one, or ex lover. For example, in the sparkling dance track of 'Carried Away' the narrator apologises for the way that a former relationship ended and how things were just never meant to be, "I don't really know you, and I don't think I want to, but I think I can fake it if you can...".

In a similar manner, the very concept of love is debated and exposed as being a selfish endeavour, as opposed to being life fulfilling, in the weirdly enchanting track 'Love Is Greed', "Love is not enough to hide your voice, all this talk of love just turns to noise", "....if we really love ourselves, how can we love anybody else?".

Another important element to the change in Passion Pit's sound that Gossamer represents is the more experimented and diverse song arrangements when compared to their other material. This can be heard in the shifting tone of 'On My Way', 'Constant Conversations', the haunting album closer 'Where We Belong', but most notably in 'Two Veils To Hide My Face'; a 33 second  a capella lullaby which sounds almost angelic.

It could be argued that Passion Pit's earlier material carried a more youthful and spiritied tone to it, with its fidgety rhythms and energetic chants. If that be the case, then Gossamer represents the bands step into maturity, and with it, more 'grown up' themes and experiences. But it is important to note that somehow Passion Pit have managed to bridge the gap between their previous 'youthful' work and the 'matureity' of Gossamer with impressive ease and with complete credibility.

When comparing the bands first and second albums, it is fair to say that 'Manners' stands out as the stronger collection simply down to its confidence and spirit. But it must also be said that Gossamer has earned the band a lot of respect, which leads to further intrigue as to which phase of life they will explore next.  Whatever Passion Pit's nest venture may be, you can guarantee that it will certainly surprise you and maybe even encourage you to rethink more of life's pursuits that would otherwise be taken for granted.