Disco de Passion Pit: “Manners [Bonus Tracks] [Limited Edition]”

I feel "Sleepyhead" is in the top three best songs of 2008. I feel "Sleepyhead" is in the top three best songs of 2009 [thus far]. Confused yet? Well, "Sleepyhead" was originally released last year on Passion Pit's debut EP "Chunk Of Change" and has been brought back with some slight alterations to this debut LP. Not much is different but there are enough changes to reestablish my proclivity to leave this song on repeat again after completely playing it out last year. It's basically all the same patterns and effects. However, levels have been adjusted for the better. For instance: some of the samples have been slightly muted, while others have been seeming thrust into different channels, which to be truly appreciated should be listened on a surround sound setting. The most notable difference is the extremely well timed bass has been turned up. It adds more depth to the song (especially in the bridge and chorus) and allows it to rise above the previous version which will now likely be considered a demo version.

As far as new additions go, nothing is slacking here. "Moth's Wing" is spectacular. The chorus is so climatic and it's sporadic which helps make this song a notable listen to the very last second. "Eyes As Candles" briefly starts off a tad bland with a simple drum beat and organ pad. However, it quickly gets interesting, and after the first chorus takes you somewhere serendipitous, the song reintroduces the hypnotic bass melody for the second verse. I'm not sure I've heard a more melodic moment on an album this year. Listen to this song in your car and tell me you don't catch yourself subconsciously singing the "na na na-na-na-na, hey hey heeeey" and I will instinctively check your pulse for a beat. "Swimming In The Flood" starts off with a melancholy violin melody that sounds straight out of There Will Be Blood. Enter the dirty drum machine beat, bass, and keys and you find another stellar, hypnotic melody and suddenly I'm a huge fan. "To Kingdom Come" is straight lovely. "Let Your Love Grow Tall" shows these dudes have fun production value down to a science. "Seaweed Song" is like a fun upbeat 80s electronic r&b song and one of my favorites.

This album took a brief moment to grow on me. After my first listen, I wasn't blown away. At least not like I was when I first heard "Sleepyhead" last year. And I think that's where my fault was with regards to this album initially: I craved an album full of "Sleepyheads", songs to just blow me away. You won't find that here. What you will find, simply, is fun, hypnotic electronic songs that I ultimately feel are one of the most cohesive collection of songs released this year. I certify here every song a worthy listen and more than several are just plain spectacular. If there isn't a Passion Pit fan club yet, I want to start one, so, I can proclaim: "I'm not just a member, I'm the President."

Not that I really cared to get the booklet, but with all the comments warning that it doesn't come with this album, I thought I'd share that my Amazon download came with a PDF booklet, just as advertised. Not sure what went wrong for the other reviewers...

Enjoy the music, its fantastic!

This five piece band of Angelakos, Hultquist, Al Adhamy, Apruzzese, Donmoyer from Cambridge, Massachusetts really made a statement this album "Manners" released on May 18, 2009. In slang, passion pit refers to drive-in theaters since back in the old days it used to provide a romantic venture for young teenagers. Before formation Angelakos created and performed his pieces from just his laptop, similar to what we're doing in my music class. Passion pit is one of my favorite bands for several reasons: they include a variety of synthetic, analog, and acoustic sounds, great vocals, and catchy rhythms.

Their first single "The Reeling" makes spectacular use of synthesized instruments with a catchy driving rhythm. One of the best parts of the song is the chorus which uses vocals from the PS22 chorus, a popular elementary school chorus from New York. The intro of the song makes great use of breaks in the synthesizer that has some type of flanger effect then transitioning into a bell like ringing instrument that sets the mood for the verse. The second single "Little Secrets" also make use of the PS22 chorus.

One of their best songs is "Sleepyhead". Their use of sampled voices and the synthesized background sound sets the stage for a great song. They also make good use of panning the sampled voice. The synthesizer interlude at 1:20 is epic. It reminds me of MGMT's synth interlude in their song "Kids" at 3:00. This song was the only song added from their previous album and with good reason.

Their songs "Eyes as Candles" and "To Kingdom Come" are different from the previous mentioned songs. They are the type of songs that you want to listen to when you decide to stay at home and relax on a Saturday night. The mix of synthesized bells, organs, and chimes with Angelakos' sweet vocals makes for a perfect combination.

Unlike a lot of other artists, the created music takes a backseat in productions and vocals overpower background music. Instead Passion Pit puts a lot of emphasis on the driving synthesized rhythms in every song rather than subduing it. This is especially apparent in "The Reeling"; the bass line is so powerful. In addition, their song "Little Secrets" you can really hear the synthetic bass and saw synths so clearly when in mainstream pop songs you can barely notice if you don't have a dedicated bass speaker. That saying, it doesn't mean that Angelakos is skimping on vocals at all.

This type of computer music/indie rock really sets the stage for future music to come. The indie rock and electropop styles have come to define some of the popular music today ,such as MGMT and Temper trap just to name a few. Introducing computer music and analog electric instruments in live performances didn't start with Passion Pit but you could say they sure crafted it into a fine art. I would recommend this album to anyone that likes funky and catchy electropop synthesizer and driving rhythms.

I had never heard of Passion Pit until I saw the trailer for Life as We Know it and managed to track down which song was used in the trailer thanks to the good old internet.

The cd is amazing and I am so in love with the song Moths Wings, like someone else said the ending builds up beautifully.

Buy the cd if you like music that will touch your soul.

I remember when MGMT's cd came out and while I like their two popular tracks, "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" the rest of their stuff just didnt do it for me. Then by surprise, along comes Passion Pit. I first heard and we all first heard them when that awesome some on the Sprint Palm Pixi commercial came out months ago, that turned out to be "Sleepyhead". I then found their myspace page and listened to their whole album "Manners". What an awesome ablum. It's rare these days to listen to a cd that every track, every track is good in their own right. That's what you get here. While Passion Pit does dip into nostalgia of the 80's, with tons of Synth and electro beats, they have found a voice all their own, and I think it's in part to the vocals/voice of their singer. It's high pitched, but it somehow works. They just stand out in my opinion on the indie electronic scene, which is where you'll most likely find them, but they clearly can become a hit with many music listeners from many backgrounds. I like any band that blends different styles but somehow makes it their own....and clearly that's Passion Pit.

Standout tracks:

Sleepyhead

Til Kingdom Come

The Reeling

Then again...like I said, they're all good tracks. Listen and enjoy and bounce to the beat.