If you've long missed a quality indie pop album on the prowl "Manners" by Passion Pit is out here to fill in a few cavities. Debuting just a couple of years ago the American band Passion Pit brought a fresh breeze in the lately rather stagnant electropop scene with some clever ideas and stylistic manners.
"Manners" has everything that should be expected from an indietronica album: brave experimenting, intriguing vocal-instrumental combinations, pushing a few boundaries further and sticking to their own kind of originality. This record may not be a groundbreaking detour from the straight electropop line, but definitely draws direct inspiration from other areas such as new wave, electro-rock and chamber pop, which add up to the diversity and saturation of the whole product. Lyrically Passion Pit show that words are a fine instrument to express emotions and they sound even better when accompanied by memorable tunes.
Nevertheless, I should warn you about the heavy falsetto that vocalist Michael Angelakos has, cause it may sound a bit too annoying at the very first listen (as happened with me). But after giving the album a second chance impressed by the sound quality I did start to enjoy his voice, which after the startle turns out to be a pleasant accompaniment to the instrumental arrangements. There is a track for almost every indie taste, from good old electronica to shaky dance-punk and soft alt-rock. The best thing is that despite the great variety "Manners" manages to stand its own ground with a stable structure and rhythmic change of pace and emotion.
Songs to hear: "The Reeling", "Make Light", "Moth's Wings" and "Folds in Your Hands"
Rating: 8/10
