Young the Giant had quite a bit of commercial success with the song “Cough Syrup” off their debut album, and while their sophomore disc, Mind Over Matter, may be lacking in the radio hit department, it is a solid album that shows growth for the band.
Starting off with the space age sounding instrumental piece “Slow Drive,” the album quickly launches into “Anagram.” While lyrically strong, the song loses its edge due to lead singer SameerGadhia’s mumbled vocals. After about the three-minute mark of the five-minute song, I was ready to head on to the next one.
Any lack of faith is restored as the album heads into “Crystallized.” Both lyrically and musically strong, the catchy tune is definitely a head bobber and one of the clear standouts from the album.
The string of solid songs continues on through “Mind Over Matter,” the jazz-synth sounding tune with shouty vocals, and “Daydreamer,” before heading into the ballad-like song “Firelight.” Soft and contemplative, the song features lyrics like “tell my friends I’m gone, it’s true.”
While the album may not go down as one of the best of 2014, it does a great job of showing off the band’s musical abilities and show that they are capable of real growth; something many bands struggle with on their sophomore attempts. Overall, Mind Over Matter is definitely worth a listen.