A Duquesne Student's Blog

Some reviewers tend to hate this album, giving it as low as 2 stars. I disagree completely and think Allmusic.com's review of 4 stars is on target. This is very simply a perfect summer album. Being the side project of Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend members, it has a very freewheeling pop sound. The only thing is, it's dominated by a heavy synthesizer the entire album. It

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sounds like the 808's of Kanye's recent album, except that it doesnt have Kanye singing poorly.

Detractors of the album point to the lack of hooks and decent choruses, but I just don't think they expected this kind of music from these guys. Some of the songs, such as "Orange Shirt" and "Carby", sound like they belong to the world of RnB. Very unexpected from a member of Vampire Weekend. While the hooks might not be singable, they are certainly memorable and fun.

I find the album to be very catchy and hypnotic. It feels like the perfect playlist to your summer pool party. This isn't a deep album and was never meant to be. It just feels fun, and you can tell that members Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) and Wes Miles (Ra Ra Riot) had a great time making it.

One of the strange gems of the album is a remake of Jackson 5's "I Want You Back". Very well timed indeed, but obviously just a coincidence. My favorite song on the album is "So Insane", a very odd song that wil

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l slow down to almost a halt at multiple points, only just pick right back up. It has a great chorus "Oh baby you got me going so insane and I just don't know what's goin down" and airy falcetto vocals that bleed summer fun.

Your first listen to this album may be somewhat difficult. The synth takes time to get used to and the odd beats may trip you up. Listen to the whole thing through and then listen to it again right afterward. It sounds like gold the second time through. This may be my favorite album of the summer.