Matt & Kim released Sidewalks last week, their third full-length album and another fun disc that you can shake yo’ rump to. Unfortunately, though you will probably dance your butt off, this attempt fails to grab hold of its listeners the same way their last album and my 2009 pick for album of the year, Grand, does.
The album’s definite highlights are the opening track “Block After Block” and the leading single, “Cameras.” The former starts with that great big beat the “dance punk”-ers are known for. The short synths add that aspect of techno and dance while “Cameras” features electronic horn sounds and a sort of wah-wah’d intro that, at first, has trouble grasping on. However, after hearing the song within the context of the entire album, “Cameras” grows on you like a bad infection.
Both of these tracks are amazing and I often find myself driving long distances with these two songs on repeat. The rest of the album is chock full of those massive beats, synths and electronic horn sounds but something is lacking. When I first heard of Matt & Kim and their album, Grand, it absolutely blew me off my seat. As someone who is enamored with pop rock that will make me move, their second attempt was and still is one of my favorites.
The problem with Sidewalks is that I’ve heard it all before. It features all of the same things that Grand has, which is probably why it failed to knock me on my ass in the same way. Though that’s the case, the album is still worth a listen due to the fun factor. Some other highlights are “Where You’re Coming From,” “Good For Great” (which has the charm of the beat-maker on your keyboard) and “AM/FM Sound,” which is conveniently nestled between “Block After Block” and “Cameras.”
Buy the album at our record store on Amazon
Here are some other pages you may be interested in:
- Album Review – Grand by Matt & Kim
- The Best (and Worst) Albums of 2009
- Commercials: A New Medium for Discovering New Music?
- Album Review – Tiger Suit by KT Tunstall
- Album Review – Hurley by Weezer