Matt and Kim’s new CD is more of the same

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Matt and Kim’s latest album isn’t quite as Grand as the album’s title implies, but it… ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Matt and Kim’s latest album isn’t quite as Grand as the album’s title implies, but it still packs the potential for a great dance party. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Brooklyn duo’s sophomore album doesn’t venture far from its first album, which caught the attention of indie aficionados across the country. Grand features more of the synthesizer-infused pop music paired with semi-profound love-filled lyrics that fans expect from Matt and Kim. ‘ ‘ ‘ But unlike its first, self-entitled album, Matt and Kim lost the element of originality and simply replicated the sound and style of its first album on every single shockingly similar track of Grand. ‘ ‘ ‘ Grand’s 11 tracks are filled with cutesy piano parts and heavy drums fronted by lead singer Matt Johnson’s punchy voice, which adds some edge to the otherwise poppy sweet album. ‘ ‘ ‘ With oohs, aahs, la’s and da’s sung intermittently with Matt and Kim’s lively lyrics over percussion and synthesizer driven tunes, it’s impossible to claim Grand doesn’t have the redeeming quality of being a half-hour of jaunty dance-filled fun. ‘ ‘ ‘ As fun as Grand may be, the album certainly has its short comings.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Track after track seems to chug along with little to no variance between them. After a few minutes, Johnson’s choppy voice backed by Kim Schifino’s drums and synthesizers seems to bridge gaps between song breaks and fuse into one. ‘ ‘ ‘ The repetitive tracks fail to take on characteristics distinct enough to distinguish themselves from one another. Even when Matt and Kim try to put a slower or mellower song in, the duo falls back to its own happy-go-lucky drumbeats.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The album’s first energetic track ‘Daylight’ flows right into the next upbeat tune, ‘Cutdown,’ with only a short pause to sever the two tracks from each other. ‘ ‘ ‘ The power-pop twinged with an electric touch features fun and spazzy beats lively enough to get even the most pretentious music critics to crack a smile. ‘I Wanna’ and the appropriately named ‘Don’t Slow Down’ are especially upbeat. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Lesson Learned,’ Grand’s hit song, is probably the best and catchiest song on the album. It’s a stand out song, not because it varies from the rest of the album, but because it’s a the prime example of the sound Matt and Kim aims for. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Turn this Boat Around,’ the album’s eighth track, slows the tempo back a bit and employs an organ to give itself a slightly unique touch. ‘I’ll Take You Home’ similarly brings the tempo back a bit but substitutes synthesizers in place of the organ. ‘ ‘ ‘ Sandwiched between the two ‘slower’ tracks, Matt and Kim threw in ‘Cinders’ ‘mdash; an instrumental piece that would fit in quite nicely as the theme song of a classic sega game. ‘ ‘ ‘ The album ends with a chanty remix of the ‘Daylight’ armed with strong vocals and backed by strings to create a dramatic close to the album. ‘ ‘ ‘ Though Grand might not be the most diverse album ever released, it will certainly have listeners tapping their toes as their attention fades off.