Grand

iTunes Review

Brooklyn happy-pop duo Matt & Kim follow up their 2006 eponymous debut with more bare-bones synth and drum songs destined to put a smile on your face even on the gloomiest of days. Grand is a bit ... well, grander, if only in the sense that the songs are somehow bigger and fuller (louder?), and Matt Johnson’s nasal delivery is more emphatic and confident, at times sounding like a kid shouting out a song, impervious to modulation or perfection. While the infectiously exuberant “Daylight” will win the hearts and minds of even the most jaded, other tracks burst with equally bright pulses of energy: on “Cutdown,” Kim Schifino’s drumming is all flying fists of fury, but stately synths weave in and out with grace, while “Don’t Slow Down” blips and beeps with a Duran Duran dance beat. Like Mates of State, this duo tends to focus on bringing cheer to the world, but the occasional foray into shades of gray save Grand from overdosing on cute: instrumental “Cinders” is almost punky in its frenzy, Kim carefully bashing her kit into submission while Matt playfully punches out matching synth riffs, and the dark layers, ominous hum and reverbed stomping of “Spare Change” is surrounded by cavernous, empty space, giving the tune an emotional wash.