By Owen Coulter (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: January 29, 2014
Young the Giant’s second album Mind Over Matter adds a new vibe of dominant synth cords, and features less of the SoCal feel which made the band so popular. The alterations made by producer Justin Johnson, who worked on Paramore’s self-titled album last year, helps the band avoid a sophomore slump (think MGMT’s Congratulations).
It has been four years since Young the Giant released their self-titled debut album, with its massive hits “My Body” and “It’s About Time.” They’ve lost their indie edge, and have veered into an alternative sound. It has a strong synth influence with some plucky guitar that can sometimes sound like Coldplay. The album is nonetheless solid and has set the stage for something different for this band. Mind Over Matter even ventures into post-rock: grand guitar sound, skittering percussion fills, and larger vocal charisma. The all-around final production of this album will resonate to a different crowd of listeners, with its evocative lyrics and darker feel interwoven through the tracks. It is an album you will want to put on for that summer road trip, those nights at the lake, or the drive downtown. It is a summer anthem that will tell your story.
Mind Over Matter first draws in listeners with “Slow Dive,” through its instrumental purpose and gradual build up of its aforementioned synths, followed by the inventive track “Anagram” — a guitar riff and catchy chorus infects the soul with an urge to dance. My initial favourite is “Firelight,” where Sameer Gadhia’s sustained vocals allow your mind to be entrenched in the album, and want more. “Teachers” is a throwback to the band’s debut album, taking out the synth and adding a guitar sound that hooks you, the type of sound that made the Californian quintet a contagious playback on the radio. It’s the chord progression that makes this song another favourite.
Young the Giant still invoke youthful exuberance, but mature on Mind Over Matter to poetic phrases filled with meaning. Each track on the album has its own identity, and is kept together well enough so the listener isn’t confused with the direction the album is heading. The diversity of Gadhia’s voice is shown through soaring high notes and a controlled falsetto, which is apparent on the track “Crystallized.”
Granted, I’m a fan, but am I more of a fan of their original work? Absolutely. Nothing makes me want to sing along more than “My Body” or “It’s About Time.” The band, like any other, is experimenting with different sounds, but this sophomore production gets lost when placed next to Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto or The Killers’ Battle Born. It is not a sophomore slump, but they don’t replace the addiction I have for their first album. Mind Over Matter attempts to stretch their boundaries in an organic way, and I do like the use of a story being told throughout the album, but I feel dissatisfied with the feeling that seems to drag in the latter songs (with the exception of “Teachers.”) It will take some getting used to, but I’m still looking forward to seeing them live, where they will likely pull from both their debut and sophomore album.
