"That's a deal-breaker ladies." And so quoth Liz Lemon on the last two episodes of 30 Rock (which were excellent, by the way)... the joke being that there are some things in a burgeoning relationship that are not up for negotiation. Sadly, I see that happening for Passion Pit. Listen to the first 30 seconds of "Make Light" or "Little Secrets" and it's almost impossible to imagine not liking this band. The keyboards wail alongside catchy beats, and then it happens... the voice. "Deal-breaker." Or at least, we hope not, because although Michael Angelakos voice isn't classically beautiful by any stretch of the imagination (did he take a hit of helium before singing??), it stands as a perfect compliment to the kind of high-energy, dance-floor-ready tracks on Manners.If there is a better four-song combo to open an album, I'd like to know what it is. Because from the first hard synth hit on "Make Light" to the ghostly outro on "The Reeling," Passion Pit have compressed a level of songwriting into 18 minutes that most bands don't reach over the course of an entire album. It's fitting that the New York City PS 22 student chorus recorded back-up vocals on this record... it exudes childhood innocence and joy, and when those kids start singing "Higher and higher!" on the brilliantly hook-laden "Little Secrets," you get the feeling that the entire song (and maybe the album) was built around those fleeting moments of childrens' voices. Using the well-established mix-tape rules of High Fidelity, Passion Pit starts off with a bang ("Make Light"), takes it up a notch ("Little Secrets"), and then brings it down a little with "Moth's Wings," a gorgeous, steady ballad that finds Angelakos' voice in an octave that most humans can hear. That leads into the clean-up hitter of this Murderer's Row, "The Reeling," which has been out (and remixed multiple times) for a few months. Sounds of the 80s permeate in the background as more modern synth lines dominate. The tempo moves methodically and surprisingly... it feels like it's moving a lot faster that it actually is, kind of like walking on one of those people-movers at the airport.
Manners lives up to all the hype it's received, and Passion Pit have created an instantly-likable, easily-danceable, endlessly-replayable record (not unlike Cut Copy's In Ghost Colours from last year). I couldn't be more excited for their concert with Harlem Shakes in a couple of weeks... if they're half as good live as what I've read, that show is going to be insane! Although it would be easy to call the vocals a "deal-breaker," it would also be unfortunate... if nothing else, listen to it for the kids!