Frenchkiss Records

It’s been a quick musical maturation process for 21-year-old Michael Angelakos. Within a year, Passion Pit’s front man and primary songwriter has gone from essentially a one man band to part of a collaborative quintet, from blogosphere EP craze to one of the most anticipated debuts of 2009 – and rightfully so. The premise from last year’s Chunk of Change has evolved into an exuberant and charismatic sound, marked by Angelakos’ already-trademark falsettos, doubled vocals, and adventurous effects. Manners (Frenchkiss Records) draws from a broad palette of electronic and rock sounds sometimes similar to MGMT, but more concerned with ecstatic hooks than a psychedelic trip. The album’s strengths come from dance floor bounce and attention to detail, like the funky keyboards and a children’s choir on “Little Secrets”, baritone horns on “To Kingdom Come”, a sped-up vocal sample ala Kanye on “Sleepyhead”, and looped dulcimers on the more subdued “Moth’s Wings” (stream below). Precocious? Maybe, but then again maybe you’re just jealous.

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