Passion Pit is poised to be one of the year's breakout bands. Hailing from Cambridge, Mass., the brash and high-energy electronic outfit received a ton of hype thanks to last summer's single "Sleepyhead," a concise burst of blissful electronic pop. A year later, Passion Pit follows up its debut EP, Chunk of Change, with its first full-length album: Manners pairs that glossy, ebullient music with dark, soul-searching songs. Hear selections from Manners and more in a full concert recorded live from Washington, D.C. The show includes an opening performance by the Brooklyn-based band Harlem Shakes.
Passion Pit's fun and danceable music is crammed with soaring synth leads, propulsive beats and rhythmic computer blips, falsetto vocals and relentless hooks.
The band originally began as the one-man effort of singer-songwriter Michael Angelakos to create a Valentine's Day gift for his girlfriend. Angelakos soon formed the full group in late 2007, adding Ian Hultquist (keyboards), Ayad Al Adhamy (synth/samples), Jeff Apruzzese (bass) and Nate Donmoyer (drums).
The breezy rock group Harlem Shakes started generating buzz for its sparkling live shows in 2007 and released its full-length debut in March of this year. Technicolor Health has drawn comparisons to The Elephant Six Collective and Paul Simon. Harlem Shakes have toured with Deerhoof, Vampire Weekend, and Beirut, and opened for bands like Wire, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Arctic Monkeys.
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