keepers - 5
keeper avg .357
Passion Pit's debut LP contains some definite high points that transcend the otherwise consistently catchy electronic pop. The machine gun guitars give "Make Light"**** a punk energy, while even the cheesy 80's keyboards of big single "Little Secrets"***** have a heaviness that keep the "higher and higher" chorus catchy instead of annoying. "Eyes As Candles" and "Swimming In The Flood" provide a breather from the dance tempos with a couple Human League-styled ballads (though the constantly shifting rhythm backing in the former is a bit jarring). "To Kingdom Come"**** and closer "Seaweed Song"**** combine rock and dance approaches with great melodies. Then there's "Sleepyhead"**** - while the ridiculously studio-magiced vocals surpass Chipmunks-level annoying, it's too strong in melody and instrumentation to fail. Of the three bonus tracks, the 'stripped down version' of "Moth's Wings" alone equals the level of quality of the original album; the subtle but driving rhythm guitar is a far better approach than the ridiculous dynamic changes of the original, and the tasteful guitar flourishes and grand piano make great icing. The cover of The Cranberries' "Dreams", however, strips all the soul out a song that's cloying to begin with. It's so painfully bad it ruins the original for me.
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