Gossamer by PASSION PIT [Review]

Contrasts are sometimes the most interesting when they’re at their most subtle. Passion Pit, with their long awaited sophomore album, have presented a shimmering sparkling record that literally glistens. But, listening more carefully, these shimmers, sparkles and glistens are sound like they are set in a dark cave of despair. They illustrate that without darkness, you can’t really have light. If things never got dark then there’d really be no need to call something light.

Passion Pit’s enlisting the backing vocals of Amanda Wikström, Petra Brohäll and Ebba Lovisa aka Swedish group Erato to intensify the sweetness of Angelakos’ voice is, frankly, a stroke of inspired genius – by adding more light to the brightest glimmerings, making them almost blinding – they are tricking you to not seeing the dark. Perhaps a (vein) attempt to even hide the darkness behind this record. You know the kids who party the most have often got the most to be sad about. And, throughout all pop-history – the very best pop songs are the ones that are actually really sad – it’s pop music’s ability to present the darkest emotions in the lightest of lights that makes it so fantastic. And Passion Pit totally nail that subtlest of contrast time and time again on this record. – review by Andrew Tidball

RATING 8/10

Track picks
I’ll Be Alright – the trademark Passion Pit angry-bird-like synth-twiddles interpolate fantastical nut-ob percussive breaks while vocals soar overhead.

Constant Conversations – soulful finger-clicker lighter-alofting sway-a-long about having a drinking problem.

Mirrored Sea – driving and dancing way too fast; someone’s gonna get hurt.

Cry Lie a Ghost – a synth-heavy glorious thunderclap

Hideaway – opening so high it’s broken

It’s Not My Fault, I’m Happy – this is what angels sing like when they are sad about the world’s injustices.