Released 1/21/2014
6/7 Stars
Young the Giant was able to grasp the hearts of both the "too cool" teenage population and their mothers with their self-titled, 2010 debut featuring colossal radio hits like "Cough Syrup" and "My Body." The rest of the album boasted an only somewhat similar, hyped up beach rock sound that helped them claim their spot in festival stardom for the three years to follow. They took the hint, and kicked out an album that is dense with both dance beats and instruments to face the superstition of the sophomore album slump head-on.
The album's lead single "It's About Time" catapulted YTG back into the forefront of indie rock and posed the illusion of a stylistic change for the group, with more guitar distortion and heavier drums than we've ever heard from them. After the next single "Crystallized" hit the masses, it was made apparent that both the composition and production of this album was no laughing matter. The singles, along with title track "Mind Over Matter," all create a new direction for the band that is cut from the same template; the harmonies and unique guitar melodies from their debut were not replaced, but instead padded by the addition of extra keyboards, synthesizers, and a more center-stage presentation of frontman Sameer Gadhia's continuously strong vocal performances.
Mind Over Matter is a unique album in the fact that it isn't a collection of songs. It actually sounds like one body of work, constructed as one dynamic spectacle to flow through one song to the next without noticeable breaks. It begins with the 48 second opener "Slow Dive" morphing into the opening strums of "Anagram", and continues on as the somber focal-points "Firelight" and "Camera" break through the momentum as a soft breath of air between all of the dancing this album is destined to make you do.
Young the Giant's maturity as a band was bound to improve after their almost four-year stint on the road as they headed into the studio for their second effort. These experiences shape bands differently as history as shown, but these guys took their careers to the next level with this album. Gadhia no longer wails and screams; it has morphed into wooing and full-on belting, putting maximum emphasis on how simply fun this album came to be. Any fame or fortune garnered from the band's debut was put to use in the most appropriate way possible: to turn around and make a newer and better album the next time around. Young the Giant has indicated yet again that they deserve the spotlight, and you're darn right that they have taken it.
