IN REVIEW: Young The Giant - "Mind Over Matter"

If I may qualify this review with a slight disclaimer: I realize that, as a man in his late thirties, Young the Giant aren't trying to appeal to my tastes. Crafting the kind of hooky indie rock that seems aimed with laser-guided precision at modern alternative radio, their 2010 debut was borderline offensive in the safety of its execution. Like the "extreme" young fellow in the Mountain Dew commercial their biggest hit My Body soundtracks, their music likes to hang out in high places (albeit strapped with a helmet, knee pads and a triple-checked safety harness) and has the tendency of diving headlong into sugary sweetness.

This isn't meant as a slight of their abilities; they're very good at the approach, and it's served them well with their target demographic. However, it doesn't make Mind Over Matter any less frustrating to listen to. Lead single It's About Time, with its added crunch and off-time beat, signaled the possibility of an album (and a band) poised to explore new and more daring places. Sadly, outside of that tasty piece of bait, there isn't much of anything on Mind Over Matter that excites in the same way.

That's not to say it's a terrible album; indeed, there are a fistful of songs here destined for top down road trip playlists and radio wave dominance as we approach summer. When one of the album's tracks lodges itself into your head to the point of lobotomy consideration, Daydreamer comes to mind as the most likely culprit. And the title track packs the kind of heartfelt swoon that could only coax its full effect as accompaniment to the big break-up scene on a teen drama. And side A closer Firelight is genuinely pleasing in its sullen hopefulness.

The problem with Mind Over Matter is the same one that cursed their debut; with so many huge choruses fighting to live out their single potential, the whole thing kind of collapses together into a molten heap of sunshine and syrup. And that's frustrating because, after hearing It's About Time, I know they're capable of taking more chances (and doing so with positive results) than they're willing to take.

Only two albums in, there's obviously still plenty of time for Young the Giant to take their music to the risky places it seems as though they might like to take it someday. In the meantime we have an album that feels more generic and hit-chasing than the last even though its songs aren't as obviously generic and hit-chasing. It's a calculated risk with little chance of collateral damage: a Harley with training wheels, lemon gin mixed with Mountain Dew, a view of the rollercoaster from the safety of the merry-go-round. And that's okay, but here's hoping they grow into something more.

January 21, 2014 • Fueled By Ramen

Highlights It's About Time • Daydreamer • Firelight

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: Sam Roberts Band

SAM ROBERTS BAND I Feel You From: Collider Released: May 10 Having already endured the breakout success ( Brother Down was Canada's it rock song of 2002), the tentative dabbling in the U.S. market, as is the rite of passage for all moderately successful Canuck artists (2003's debut We Were Born in a Flame was the best time to try; one of the best albums of the year, it made a small dent in the American mindset upon its release there a year later), the difficult, druggy third album (the aptly named 2005 disc Chemical City ), and the subdued creative step backward (2008's Love at the End of the World , aside from hit single Them Kids , was really kinda bland), it seems according to script that Sam Roberts would start settling in on his fourth album (and first with the band credited as equal contributors), Collider (you know, I think it was a bad idea to give me brackets). Well, as far as settling in goes, Roberts does and doesn't on Collider . W...

IN REVIEW: Rancid - "Trouble Maker"

As far as punk rock goes, it's hard to name a hotter hot streak than the trio of records Rancid cranked out between 1995 and 2000; the star making ...And Out Come the Wolves , the far-reaching Life Won't Wait and their balls-to-the-wall second self-titled album solidly positioned Rancid as leaders of the second generation of punk. It also preceded a period of slow progression, as Rancid would take eleven years to release their next three records. By the time ...Honor Is All We Know came in 2014, many fans (myself included) had to wonder whether or not this was the end of the road. Such concerns are handily dealt with on the closing track of the standard edition of their ninth record, the positively punishing This Is Not the End . Well, okay then, that's sorted. Now, what of this new record? What do we make of the use of their original logo on the cover, a logo that hasn't graced a Rancid record in 25 years? Is this a throwback to the band's heyday, a new begin...

SOUND BITES

Search This Blog