Label - Glassnote Entertainment
BLURB - Not going to lie here...I've never heard of Givers before this album. At all. I happened to to randomly stumble upon this when I was listening to some new releases a couple weeks ago. I listened to just about 30 seconds of the opening track and was instantly hooked. Givers mixes together equal parts of pop and indie-rock into this very accessible and likable record. Granted, nothing really stands out, but it's an album that I can just put on and know that nothing is going to suck. Which, actually, is kind of rare.
Rating - 8 out of 10
FULL STORY - "In Light" starts pretty much at full speed with opening track, 'Up Up Up.' The track bounces back and forth from electro-rock to afro pop. It reminds me of some kind of a fusion of Miami Horror and Vampire Weekend. The song is wonderfully varied, keeping you on your toes as you're listening. A great example of this is the patient and calm bridge that segues into the full on, in-your-face electric outro.
'Meantime' continues on with Givers' diversity. The track once again, while at a slower pace, moves about like teenager girl learning to drive -- speeding up, suddenly slowing down, going in a different direction. 'Meantime' will remind many people of bands like MGMT, Foster the People and the aforementioned Miami Horror as there is a constant barrage of both rock, pop and dance influences.
'Ripe' brings back the afro pop with some unique percussion providing the foundation for some brightly colored guitar riffs and voicing. The track has a dizzying quality to it, as it just floats about between gentle themes and will then break down into chaotic periods of distortion. At some points, certain portions of the song don't seem to quite fit, but in reality this just makes for a more interesting listen.
There's a bit of a fun reggae feel on 'Ceiling of Plankton.' The group vocals on this track also provide for an almost anthemic and tribal tone, making it hard not to sing along. The instrumentation on this track are also fairly captivating. At different parts of the song there are creative percussion fills, synthesizer riffs and flute solos -- all providing unique compliments to the song as a whole.
Another interesting aspect to Givers is their use of both male and female vocals, and how they go about finding clever ways to incorporate different sets and styles of vocals into each song. The female and slow-building 'Atlantic' provides an elegant display colors as the track is continuously gathering momentum and energy. Once the track crests over the three minute mark, a worldly collection of textures and instruments emerge and all of a sudden you feel like you're at some kind of jungle party. Due to the patient and bright nature of the song, the usage of female vocals provides a level of sincerity that likely wouldn't have been attainable had they been male.
Givers does get into trouble with a couple of their slower songs like 'Go Out All Night,' but for the most part "In Light" far surpasses any kind of expectations I had. There's diversity, energy and creativity throughout this record and it's very easy to recognize. Givers also inadvertently kind of create their own little sub-genre and sound with earthly fusion afro pop, rock and dance, that if nothing else, creates an entertaining collection of songs that actually have something to offer. Fans of bands like Foster the People, MGMT, Vampire Weekend, Fools Gold and Passion Pit should eat this album up.
Take a listen to 'Up Up Up.'
Tracks
1.) Up Up Up
2.) Meantime
3.) Saw You First
4.) Ripe
5.) Noche Nada
6.) Ceiling of Plankton
7.) In My Eyes
8.) Atlantic
9.) Go Out At Night
10.) Words
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