Passion Pit's new album "Gossamer" packs a quirky and satisfying punch that should make it a rewarding download for new and established fans alike.
"Gossamer" is like Passion Pit's adorable, slightly awkward second child; it doesn't quite fill its big brother's shoes, but that's no reason to abandon it on someone's doorstep.
"Take a Walk" is the album's most recognizable song, combining a peppy beat with surprisingly serious subject matter. The track provides a grim account of financial and personal struggle in post-recession America, yet is still a great song to jam out to while walking to class.Taco Bell certainly enjoys "Take a Walk," because it recently began using the song in its television commercials. However, what Taco Bell needs to understand is that alternative music is not what drives people to eat their mystery meat tacos at one in the morning.
"Love is Greed," my personal favorite track on "Gossamer," continues the album's interesting trend of layering introspective lyrics over Passion Pit's uptempo, experimental sound. Taking a look at the complexity of human relationships, the song asks the difficult question, "If we really love ourselves / How do you love somebody else?"
If I knew the answer to that question, I would be writing self-help books and consoling hysterical women on "Dr. Phil" rather than reviewing music for a college newspaper.
Fans of Passion Pit's hit song "Sleepyhead" will enjoy "Cry Like a Ghost," which also uses synthesizers and voice distortion techniques to create a distinctly surreal sound.
Gossamer drops off slightly from Passion Pit's last musical effort, "Manners," but is still an album I would definitely recommend downloading.
I'll be the first to tell you I'm not a fan of country music, but Zac Brown Band really impressed me with their latest album, "Uncaged."
For "Uncaged" the band taps into their signature Caribbean-inspired vibe, resulting in both the highlight ("Jump Right In") and lowlight ("Island Song") of the album. "Jump Right In" is a fun, upbeat track I can see myself blasting on Fridays after class, filled with the band's usual amount of tropical references. It can get annoying how frequently Zac Brown Band songs mention palm trees, sand and adult beverages on the beach, but hey, there are worse things in the world.
Other highlights include "Natural Disaster," a folk-sounding ode to a beautiful woman whose fiery disposition "wrecks everyone she meets," and the more soulful "Lance's Song," a song about a musician receiving his "silver invitation" to play for "the big band in the sky" after a career filled with disappointment.
I would urge those people on the fence about country music to give the album a listen. Zac Brown Band successfully avoids the twangy sound and shallow lyrics found in many country songs, making them a refreshing change of pace in a genre I feel has grown increasingly stale.
Those of you familiar with DJ Khaled may know him as the MC/producer responsible for a dizzying number of popular hip-hop songs in the past 10 years. By bringing together long lists of A-list rappers on the majority of his tracks, Khaled has made a career riding to success on the coattails of those with actual talent.
However, not even the likes of Kanye, T.I. or Big Sean could salvage the steaming garbage heap that is Khaled's new album, "Kiss the Ring." Khaled can usually be relied on to churn out at least one song per album I enjoy, but "Kiss the Ring" left me completely empty handed, with no tracks standing out as remotely download-worthy.
My greatest complaint is that rather than actually rapping, Khaled spends a solid portion of the album doing shout-outs to friends and various locations. Five seconds of such shout-outs may be acceptable occasionally, but a solid minute of his whiny rambling only makes me want to throw my iPod at the wall.
Overall, the album is an indictment of Khaled as a no-talent, wannabe musician. In fact, I saved a special place for it in my music doghouse, right next to Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter 4."
Contact Dan Brombach at
dbrombac@nd.edu
The views in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
