Drink Up Buttercup Playing at Ronny’s

Energetic, shambling, playful, endearingly sloppy; these are things that immediately hit you when listening to Philly’s Drink Up Buttercup. Allegedly, their live show embodies these very same qualities, and you can see them (at eye level no-less) at the stageless Ronny’s this Saturday, October 3rd.

In a fuzzy fracas of keyboards, ghostly harmony, tempo-shifts, and Brit-invasion guitar they immediately call to mind your typical archetypes of these qualities — namely Clinic, Grizzly Bear, Fiery Furnaces, yada yada yada.

But unlike all the bands mentioned above, there are no self-serious tendencies to be found; they’re just too giddy to be so heavy (much less wear surgical masks). Even when they get their stompin’ march on it sounds closer to the clumsy grandeur of a K Records Modest Mouse than the doom & gloom of a Kurt Weill.

That said, listing possible influences is only fun for the one writing them, so it’s best to check them out live… ya know… tomorrow.  And, maybe, in the meantime, enjoy these two tracks:

Passion Pit Drives Them Crazy.

Reviewed Passion Pit for UR Chicago here.

The article is reposted below, and extend it with some more rambling commentary…

In a giddy fit of keyboards, falsettos, and saccharine dance beats, Boston newcomers Passion Pit are charming their way west during their first national tour. P.P. bounced their way through a congenial but criminally short set last night at Schubas, as Michael Angelakos engaged the audience with the same disarming manner and sky-high vocals that seep through every track of his debut EP, Chunk of Change.

The set started out playful and keyboard-heavy with Angelakos’ ear for pop melody pushing to the forefront. Flanked a guitar, drums, two Rolands, a Moog, and sitting behind a Yamaha synth himself, Angelakos’ dare-you-to-sing-higher-than-me octaves pierced through riffs, piano lines, and programmed back-beats. Espousing sentiments that in lower vocal ranges might be cringe inducing diary entries, the proper set ended with the dance-happy electropop of “Sleepyhead” and “Better Things” to which the sellout crowd lost their collective brains to, bloggers and ALTBros alike.

Angelakos apologized repeatedly for the abridged set, but, the audience couldn’t blame them for succinctness – Passion Pit just haven’t been around long enough to have a full set.

In a backstory that’s impossible not to repeat; Passion Pit’s origins couldn’t be more endearing: Originally a late Valentine’s Day present for Angelakos’ g/f, the “Chunk of Change” CDR made the rounds at Emerson University, made waves in Boston, and made headlines after some stellar sets at this year’s CMJ music fest in New York. A few months later, after some east coast practice gigs, they’re on tour backed by new label Frenchkiss, playing the six songs that everyone knows and road-testing a few new ones.

Passion Pit’s sincerity and DIY style fits with just a few other bands who somehow dodge be criticized for being goddamned “sincere” all the time — people have seemed to get really sick of that recently. (The fact that, as 20-something culture consumers, we already have issues with earnestness is fodder for a different blog).

I see Angelakos along side other singer/songwriters like Khaela Maricich (The Blow), Ben Gibbard (a-la The Postal Service), and Robert Wratten (Field Mice) as artists that manage to be shmultsy but nevertheless loveable.

Let it be a lesson to those aspiring coffeehouse guitar wankers… if you’re inspired to put your love / breakup letters to music and share it with the world, do two things:

1. Sing higher and/or softer than you’re comfortable
2. Put some good fucking beats behind it

You’ll be a blogosphere hero in no time.