Matt and Kim
Lightening
Reviewed by Michele Zipkin
Matt and Kim are keeping up with their steeze in churning out another high-energy, dance-worthy album, Lightning, out October 2nd. It could not be more of an appropriate title for the record, because almost all of its songs are lightning-fast. Little flecks of indie pop/rock, electronica, and dance-pop are what make up the songs on Matt and Kim’s latest effort. Stand-out tracks are “Let’s Go”, with its sweet and almost addictive “oohs” in the chorus, and the insanely bubbly “Now”. But truth be told, some of the other tunes on this LP just don’t have the same melodic or rhythmic punch as the aforementioned ones and as the duo’s previous output. However, if you’re in the market for sugar-coated indie-dance-pop, this is the album for you.
“It’s Alright” sounds like Blink 182 on crack, with the exception of trumpets sounding a celebratory call throughout the song. “Not That Bad” is not that bad- its little piano riff makes it kind of interesting, but the melody is so jolly and angular. What happened to the jazzy, electro-rock beat of songs like “Cameras”? Would it kill them to devise an interesting riff on this record? Apparently not, because there is one in “I Said”, thanks to its extremely synthesized gurgles and little delayed staccato hits. Its lyrics have some substance, and its downbeat (as opposed to upbeat) piano-based interlude is nice contrast to the busy-ness of the rest of the song.
While the soft, accordion-like hums in “Overexposed” give the song some nice texture, the high-pitched synth screeching is almost grating, and the vocal melody doesn’t help either. Despite the mediocrity of some of Matt and Kim’s latest tunes, the slow-going and vocally-layered “Ten Dollars I Found” is unexpected contrast to the rest of the high-rhythm and note-filled numbers. It’s a slightly weird way to end such an upbeat album, but perhaps it marks a sigh of relief after so many fast-paced tunes.
In short, this album is what it is- it will definitely get you dancing, or at least get your head nodding a little bit. Some songs outshine others, but they are all knit together under the umbrella of “sugar-shout” dance tunes that you may turn to when you just want to go nuts and jump around your room.
