Matt & Kim – Grand

It’s difficult (well, alright, it’s downright impossible) to review Matt & Kim without using words like über-cute, spastic and gleeful. So I’ll just get that out of the way right off the bat. The Brooklyn duo has finally released their sophomore album, Grand, their first recorded output since their eponymous 2006 debut. The past 2+ years have seen Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino touring extensively and winning indie kids over one sweaty, jubilant live show at a time.For those unfamiliar, Matt & Kim is a very bare-bones operation, with Matt on synthesizer and vocals and Kim on a skimpy drum kit and occasional backing vocals. In sharp contrast to the nine days it took Matt & Kim to record their debut, they spent nine months in between tour dates recording and honing Grand. Keeping with their DIY sensibilities, Grand was produced by Matt and recorded mainly in his isolated Vermont childhood home.Grand immediately sports a different feel than the debut with the anthemic ‘Daylight’, an utterly delightful way to begin (and, incidentally, end) the album. The sound is more grown-up, and despite having recorded the album themselves, there’s more sheen to the production. ‘Lessons Learned’ kicks off with Kim’s airy vocals and builds to the chorus, which seems to echo Matt & Kim’s life philosophy: “And so I stayed up all night/slept in all day/this is my sound/thinking about tomorrow won’t change how I feel today”. ‘Don’t Slow Down’, despite having few lyrics that aren’t included in the song title, will have you tapping your foot and bobbing your head with its choppy beat. Drum-free and slower paced ‘Turn This Boat Around’ is a sweet, rare Matt & Kim ballad that is very nearly drowned by the following track, the tuneful, instrumental ‘Cinders’.All in all, Grand holds true to Matt & Kim’s formulaic spazzy synth and vocals, hand claps and danceable beats, but it’s definitely a formula that’s worked so far. The biggest downfall of a Matt & Kim album is that they haven’t yet managed to capture the energy and joyousness of their live show, where everyone in the room becomes a kid again and where Matt & Kim typically manage to put the biggest smiles on themselves. Despite lacking live show energy though, Grand is another generous serving of infectious, festive pop music. 75%Matt & Kim on MySpace