Matt And Kim On The Fence With New Album "Sidewalks"
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Photo courtesy of Matt and Kim's Facebook page
Well-known for their wildly popular 2009 song “Daylight,” from their previous release "Grand," Matt and Kim seem to take their indie authenticity down a notch.
Formed in 2004 and composed of Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, the band attribute much of their early success to a heavy online following on social network sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Their energetic musical performances helped them gain a local following, as well as a viral popularity on YouTube.
The band keeps their upbeat, rhythmic and folk-like feel for the most part, which shines through in the cleverly written song “Cameras”.
However, songs like the melancholy “Where You’re Coming From” and the synthesized, chorus-driven “Block After Block” add a more clean-cut, pop feel to the album: a possible move to get more mainstream radio play?
They still showcase their love for cutting-edge sounds with the song “AM/FM Sound”, which brings out the big guns, musically speaking. The keyboard dominates the background with new varying samples of whirrs and tones, producing a near electric feel. Listeners can bob along to the eclectic sound of the song, especially with the catchy-yet-simple beat paired with the memorable chorus.
The musical creativity and experimentation save the album from being just a passing fancy with listeners. Matt and Kim incorporate the popular beats of Southern hip-hop so common in rap music today into their song “Block After Block”.
They reanimate the album with the same energy as before in the catchy, smart and thoughtful tune called “Ice Melts” - a demonstration that they have not lost their quirky touch.
