Heads turned far and away across the land when Californian alt rockers Young the Giant announced their arrival with their excellent self titled debut album in 2010. Cue a well deserved seat at the ever populating indie rock table and big big things were expected of the band. Four years later marks the release of the follow up album, Mind Over Matter.
The album opens with “Slow Dive” which formulates into a wave of synth, eventually crescendoing into track two, “Anagram.” This one is a belter, starting out with a plucked guitar solo before frontman Sameer Gadhia caresses it with his almost effortlessly gentle vocals. The drums soon follow and we’re in full swing, a song brimming with energy with everything perfectly falling into place.
Following that is “It’s About Time” which incidentally was the first single from Mind Over Matter. It shows the rockier side of Young the Giant with it’s crunching guitar and snappy snare drum. Gadhia demonstrates more of his vocal prowess, delivering a falsetto approach for the pre-chorus as well as a frantic wail towards the end.
Unfortunately, Mind Over Matter peaks rather early and the rest of the album doesn’t quite carry the torch lit by the opening tracks. “Crystallised” and title track “Mind Over Matter” are let down by criminally unsubstantial lyrics and an uninspired backing track. Both tracks appear back to back and derail the album from any sort of rhythm. It’s like none of the band members wanted to stand out, instead opting to create a standard song with no frills. While this is all okay it also means nothing in either song grabs you or even leaves an imprint on you. On the other hand, with “Teachers” and especially the brooding “Camera”, Young the Giant offer an extra dimension both lyrically and musically rarely seen throughout the album. Towards the end comes the brilliant “Eros” which sounds like a definite crowd pleaser. While closing track “Paralysis” sounds like it was plucked straight from some obscure 80s discotheque.
Overall, Mind Over Matter places itself firmly in the band’s comfort zone. The rest of the band’s contribution is competent without being remarkable and rarely offer anything other than backing music for Gadhia to serenade. His vocal range is clearly impressive, frustratingly however he chooses to put it towards some mostly elementary lyrics. There are occasional flashes of brilliance dotted around on the album, although they’re drops in the ocean and it leaves the listener clutching empty space void of anything other than mediocrity.
It’s to be admired for a band with just one previous album release to sound so polished in their musical endeavours. Of course, it helps when you’ve toured with the likes of Minus The Bear and Incubus. Many would have expected a strong sophomore from Young The Giant, but Mind Over Matter is a step sideways rather than forwards and in terms of their discography, it will be seen as nothing more than a safety net.
Rating: 3/5