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The cutest couple this side of Jack and Meg do exactly that [get serious] on the shockingly accomplished Grand. [Feb 2009, p.100]
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80Even though Grand is a bit toned down from Matt and Kim's first albums, it maintains the spunk, high energy and carefree attitude that caught people's attention in the first place.
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Grand might inspire head-bobbing and smiles, but it'll rarely make a jaw drop.
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73Luckily, Grand features not only some of the band's most personal lyrics, but also some of its most universal.
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While there's no game changer like 'Yea Yeah' here, many of the tracks show increasingly complex arrangements and stronger lyrical content that should be a positive contribution to their already notable live performances. [Winter 2009]
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Grand's euphonious opening tracks don't disappoint, particularly the jubilant single 'Daylight,' which is so good it warrants a closing remixed version.
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70Matt and Kim (their real names) come on like a punked-up Mates of State--a couple so cute that you'd walk away from their frantic live shows feeling mushy, if someone hadn't just mushed you. But the love songs on their second album are for their home borough of Brooklyn as much as for each other.
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70For the most part the album is a galloping goof, with vocalist and keyboard player Matt Johnson hamming his way through a series of rousing blog-pop gems.
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70Grand runs into something of an identity crisis in its third act, as it moves through these phases a bit too quickly and gets left sitting and twirling in a way. Fortunately, most of its flubs (only a precious few) do not stand out.
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60The pair sometimes get slow and mellow, but the dominant tone is better expressed by the brattish beat explosion of 'Daylight,' the madly bleeping 'Don't Slow Down' or the clatteringly chaotic 'Cutdown.' [Sep 2009, p.86]
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60Recorded in Matt's childhood bedroom with their trademark teenage palette (a Casiotone, Matt's nasal whinge and Kim's bubbly punk beats), their sophomore album plays like the indie-musical version of one of those yesterday-I-was-a-teenager-but-now-I'm magically-an-adult '80s movies.
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Grand isn't as majestic as its name suggests, with only a handful of songs moving past the anxious minimalism that permeated the last album. For returning fans, though, Grand provides a familiar brand of punk music for happy people, for lovebirds, for those who wish Mates of State had more swagger and less glockenspiel.
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60A 26-minute tsunami which hurtles by in a Fiery Furnances-esque blur. [Aug 209, p.112]
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60The married couple bash out organ-pumping pop blasts that exuberantly pick apart their youthful experiences.
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What's missing? Killer melodies to give some weight to their arty moves. A couple of hits of Ritalin might help.
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 3 out of 3
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Mixed: 0 out of 3
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Negative: 0 out of 3
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EricC8
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benk9The band Matt and Kim as amazing. I like the upbeat and fast paced sound.
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ShawneeF10Thoroughly enjoyable.