Music Monday: Ameet’s Review of Young The Giant
Hello Dayumn readers,
First, thank you for stopping by to read my review, I really appreciate it! Second, my name is Ameet and I’m a full-time Audio Engineering & Production student, insane music enthusiast and first time poster as a member of the Dayumn’s music department team!
Album Review: Young the Giant
Young the Giant are Orange County natives, which kind of sucks because I really wanted to believe that they are from Canada – more specifically, Vancouver. When I think about Canadian music, I think indie bands with a calm and smooth sound; which is what Young the Giant basically is. When I think about Orange County, I think about plastic surgery and gold diggers.
Before I begin reviewing, I like to do a little research and watch past interviews along with reading what others thought about the album. I wish the reviews were skewed to one side, but everyone seems to be sitting on the fence about this one and giving very mixed reviews. Some bloggers absolutely detest the album and give it as low as 2.7 out of 5 stars. Then, there are others who praise it by giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. I am one of those who are sitting on the fence about it. Yes, I know what you’re thinking “why this album then?” Let me explain.
This album, as great as some parts are, does have set backs.
Young the Giant has a unique but familiar sound. If you took Coldplay, Kings of Leon & Maroon 5 and joined their sounds, you would get Young the Giant. Although their influences are very predominant in their music, they still make it their own which kind of makes them sheer perfection, but not really. As many can pick out a Coldplay or Kings of Leon song at the drop of a pin, many will be able to do this with Young the Giant songs years to come. I have and do thoroughly enjoy the album and, of course, there are some epic songs that really standout such as, Apartment, My Body & Cough Syrup.
Although the album is great and was put together very well, I do think that they tried really hard to produce a more commercial album so they could sell records, which isn’t necessarily wrong. Currently in music we see Indie/Alternative music being sought out by every music enthusiast, but we haven’t seen much growth; sadly, Young the Giant has not contributed to the progression in Indie/Alternative music with this album.
In an interview with MTV Canada, lead vocalist, Sameer Gadhia, stated that they “worked very hard to make the album sound live,” which is great and I really appreciate the effort, but I don’t hear it that much. They did, however, bring a live element into the album but it’s not as prominent as Gadhia made it seem. Right now I feel that the best way to make an album sound live is to record it on tape vs. digital – something they did not do. Hopefully, Road Runner (their record company) will give them the opportunity to record their next album on tape because I really think they would be able to produce something pretty amazing if they did it on tape.
The instrumentals on the entire album are solid and the vocals are on point. Gadhia has the most amazingly unique voice that really stands out and is comparable to the likes of Coldplay’s front-man, Chris Martin. I think they’re great performers and proved that at last year’s VMA’s (Video Music Awards). I see a long road ahead of them and although the album may not be sheer perfection, it’s still pretty amazing.
You can find their album on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon. Listen to it and let me know if you agree or disagree!
‘til next time.
Ameet.
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