Heave Media

Good Things Come in Threes, But Grand Things Come In Twos

Matt & Kim keep the party going with second release and show impressive growth

Matt & Kim

Grand

Released on Jan 20, 2009

One of my favorite writers, Rob Sheffield, has this to say about love: “Every time I have a crush on a woman, I have the same fantasy: I imagine the two of us as a synth-pop duo. No matter who she is, or how we meet, the synth-pop duo fantasy has to work, or the crush fizzles out.”  I couldn’t agree more, which is why almost all of the music I can’t get enough of comes from duos—not only do I love the musical complexities that can arise from just two people, but they help fuel the fantasy that someday, me and a certain lucky boy will grace the stage as an opening act for one of my beloved musical pairs.

By far, one of the best duos right now is Matt & Kim. Their infectious lyrics, drums, and keyboards are equal parts clever and complete, unadulterated fun. However, as most often times happens with fun, poppy bands, you manage to get one great album out of them, and then the act is worn out. Well, we certainly got a great album with their self-titled release. So, while I eagerly anticipated Grand, I also took that time to set myself up for disappointment.

Well, their music always puts me in a better mood, and Grand has officially made an optimist out of me. Their second release delivers the catchy riffs that we’ve come to expect, but each song is more developed, making for a fuller, less frantic sound and feel for the album. The party tracks are still prevalent, like “Daylight” and “Cinders” (two that you need to have on heavy rotation at your next shindig), but they’re balanced out by songs like “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare,” which sounds rich thanks to the faux strings sweeping over the chorus.

It’s nearly impossible to identify a weak track on the album—each song will either have you dancing, or at least bopping your head and singing along with Matt. Even though I’m now an optimist, there does have to be one thing that’s not perfect. I would have preferred that they leave off the “Daylight Outro” remix, mainly because the standard version is so fantastic, and features the best keyboard part on the album. But, you can’t always get everything you want. If this twosome can give me ten entertaining tracks, then they’ve got my love and acclaim. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go listen to “I Wanna” at least 15 more times before I head off to work. With this song stuck in your head, every shift will seem far more fun than it really is.

Posted by Alyssa Vincent on Jan 20, 2009 @ 8:00 am