I first heard “Daylight” at a Charlotte Russe in San Diego. Unfortunately, I was in a rush for the bathroom and didn’t have time to ask the cashier what the song was called. I instantly fell in love with the poppy, hoppy piano, the guy’s accent and his alternating style of singing but I never caught the name of the band.
Fast forward a few months. I have many reasons to thank (and curse) Bacardi, but for introducing me to Matt & Kim, I have to give the brand’s advertising team a big kiss on the mouth! While watching a commercial for Bacardi (why not plug them since they did me this favor?) that featured that same song, I instantly recognized the piano and voice, which led me on an online quest to find the name of the genius band who came up with the catchiest song I’ve heard all summer (never mind that I didn’t discover the band until 7 months after they released their second album).
I listened to Grand, Matt & Kim’s second album and instantly became hooked to their massive, infectious beats and quirky piano melodies just as I did to “Daylight.” The album’s third track (“Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare”) even turned out to be the song featured in NBC’s promos for their new show “Community.” What’s so interesting is that I expressed loving that song before even knowing who sang it and it turned out to be Matt & Kim, which was a great surprise! I’m a fan of huge-sounding beats and that song features one of the biggest I’ve heard accompanied by a cutsie piano and string melody.
Other highlights on the album include “Spare Change,” “Don’t Slow Down,” “Turn This Boat Around” and “Cinders.” The latter is full of crazy, thick-toned synthesizers that are very reminiscent of those old video games from the late 80’s-early 90’s while “Turn This Boat Around” has a little bit of a slower tempo but the sound of the keys really remind you of being in deep water. A harmonica even somehow makes its way into the mix but it blends in perfectly.
“Spare Change” is full of stomping, clapping and snapping sounds with a little bit of piano and synthesizers, which makes for a fresh-sounding little ditty. “Don’t Slow Down” makes you never want to sit down again, even if one note seems to be repeated throughout the entire song. The drum-work and vocals urge you repeatedly to not slow down and you’d better not if you know what’s good for you!
A remix of “Daylight” is featured at the end of the album. This version is much slower and doesn’t feature the quirky piano of the original, but it is still a very interesting sound. Instead of the band sound, “Daylight Outro (Remix)” features more machines than anything with deeper tones. It’s a good song to just mellow out to.
Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino certainly have their style down to an impeccable art form. It’s been a while since I’ve heard an album that got me hooked so quickly like this one did. Every single track is amazing and makes you want to dance. Grand is the perfect summer album because of all the fun you have just listening to it; I can’t even imagine this duo’s live performances!
Fortunately for you, you don’t have to imagine. Check them out at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles on August 27th, 2009.
Click here to watch the video for “Daylight.”
Buy the album at our record store on Amazon
Check out these other relevant pages on EnterTheShell.com:
- Artist of the Week – Kelly Clarkson
- Editorial – Man Up Please!
- Album Review – Speak Now by Taylor Swift
- Covers Revue – Marilyn Manson covers The Eurythmics
- Artist of the Week – The Rescues
1 thought on “Matt & Kim :: "Grand"”
Comments are closed.