Moroni's Review of Passion Pit's "Gossamer"

I admit - it has been quite a while since I bought Passion Pit's sophomore release, "Gossamer".  (I have not blogged for a while.)  In the interim, this quintet from Cambridge, Massachusetts that I knew nothing about has suddenly found quite a bit of airplay.

And to tell you the truth, I hated it at the first listen.  It is bubbly and effervescent.  It is completely whimsical.  Is this a new genre of music I am unfamiliar with beyond being "indie pop"?  There seem to be several young bands that fit this vein - fun., Young the Giant, MGMT - synth heavy bands that seem lackadaisically carefree.

After a few listens, however, it did start to grow on me.  This album will never one that finds heavy rotation on my phone. However, I do find myself tapping my finger to these songs if they come on.

Nothing much needs to said about the anthems that get quite a bit of radio time - "Take a Walk" and "Carried Away".  These frothy tunes are definitely music for skipping down the flowery path.  More noteworthy are the slow jams, "Constant Conversations" and "Cry Like a Ghost".  There are spritely electropop songs like "Mirrored Sea" and "Where We Belong".  My favorite track is "Hideaway".

So the best thing that can be said about this album is that I no longer hate it.  It's okay.  But with the ubiquitous sound that this band - and other bands - seem to engender indicates to me that, soon, old age will overtake me, newer music will seem irrelevant to me, and I will fail to appreciate it or understand it.  And that, my friends, is a scary thought.  Excuse me while I go and listen to some Smiths.