The little Brooklyn duo that thought they could and did, Matt & Kim have seen stupendous success based on Matt Johnson’s (QRO interview) keys & vocals, Kim Schifino’s (QRO interview) drums, and the pair’s relentlessly positive attitude. They’ve gotten to the point of headlining massive venues (QRO live review), where their crowd still goes nuts from the get-go – not to mention high-profile coverage on MTV (getting naked in a music video will do that for you…). “But has their music evolved?” the hipster-haters have said – and that was answered with the grander Grand (QRO review) and the synthier Sidewalks (QRO review). Now comes Lightning, where the group steps even further away from straight-up rock for big, hip-hop influence bounce-beats.
Matt & Kim have long shared bills with just about anybody (and for virtually any product – QRO live review), but their affinity for hip-hop has long been paramount – even for today’s rap-loving white alt-crowd, Johnson & Schifino’s love is up there. So perhaps it comes as no surprise that Lightning seems to traffic in big beats that virtually shout, “Bounce! Bounce!”, such as on “Not That Bad”. It makes for a slower beat, and less Kim on Lightning, to the point that closer “Ten Dollars I Found” is just Johnson on keys & vocals. Even the prior, speedy “Much Too Late” feels more like video game music.
Even if Matt & Kim strip down more (musically speaking) on opener/first single “Let’s Go”, they’ve still got the same upbeat look on life & music. Matt & Kim can evolve without losing their heart.
MP3 Stream: “Let’s Go“
