Matt and Kim - Almost Everyday

Most of this was written in real time as I listened to the record for the first time. I have, of course, gone back in time to edit and add more after the fact. Why not?

At the moment I'm about two tracks in. I just dropped the needle and sat down. The first track, "Intro," is exactly that. It was a cool, sort of techno-influenced piece that segues into "Forever," which was pretty good. Having the song end with a tape effect is a nod to a past that doesn't exist. I suppose if you can replicate it digitally, why not?

"Like I Used to Be" is pretty cool. The song features what I have to assume are Matt and Kim trading vocals back and forth. The song is a mid-tempo alternative electronic piece with a lot of '80s-flavoured programmed percussion. I like it. Very retro ... or is this called Lo-Fi?

"I'd Rather" Oh, here we go. A nice fat thuddy beat. At the risk of exposing my limited range in defining or understanding genres, I suspect the vocal rhythms are leaning into hip hop territory, but the piano lines and counterpoints are pure alternative rock. I like it. Good hook and catchy.

Oooh, I like the start to "Happy If You're Happy," the way the articulated vocal run acts as a counterpoint to the main melody and simple finger snaps. I'm just waiting to see if this continues all the way through or if, at some point, there's a breakdown and beat drop ... ah, here comes the high-pass filter sweep ... wait for it ... nope, they filter and fast fade. Very cool. What a great little song.

Wait, that's it? That was the first side? How long are these songs?

Let's keep going. Side two, here we come.

"On My Own" is very keyboard heavy with a stuttered beat. Matt's voice sounds like he's channelling his best '90s imitation. Midway through, the song changes completely, and the end coda brings things to a close. Interesting. I like it. Looking forward to hearing it again.

"All in My Head" is another musically sparse song that has the sensibilities of a decent mid-tempo power pop tune with a twist. I'm really digging the songs so far. It was an interesting trick to hear the song change tempo, build, and then reset.

"Youngest I Will Be" starts with a dreamy sequence over a simple keyboard line before the snare comes in and gives way to rim shots that act as musical accompaniment to the vocals. This type of structure seems to be rinse and repeat so far, but I'm not complaining. I am totally loving the less-is-more approach to the songs. Goodness, these are going by in a hurry.

"Glad I Tried" features an effect-laden piano and a trippy beat with bells. Yeah, bells. Dang, I love bells on occasion. Yes, I am aware they're probably not real bells, but does it matter? Now, if Mike Oldfield had let them borrow his bells, how cool would that have been? It makes my head spin to think about.

"Where Do We Go From Here?" This is cool. A slow intro with piano and finger snaps. I'm guessing this is Kim out front. It's a really atmospheric song, very sparse, that slowly adds tension. Dreamy goodness ... and then it was over.

My goodness, this is like listening to an old Ramones record where the songs were barely two minutes long. I'd be surprised if the whole thing was even half an hour long (spoiler: I looked — 28 minutes). There were times this reminded me a bit of Fun. with Matt sounding at times Nate Ruess - of course my points of comparison are limited but for me that's where my brain went. It's decent company so I'm not sure Matt would mind.

Well, I'm going to flip it over and play it again, and likely again after that, as I take some time and try to polish up what I've written. I am also really curious about the album, musicians, and the like. The record sleeve and cover offer very little. The back cover has a thank-you section for those who sang on the record, which makes me wonder what Matt and Kim actually did.

Let's find out. If you already know, don't spoil it for me.

So, who are Matt and Kim? Matt is Matt Johnson, who sings and plays keyboards, and Kim is Kim Schifino, and she's a drummer. Cool. So they're an electronic duo. They've also been around a while too, dropping their self-titled debut back in 2006. Almost Everyday is their sixth album.

The back cover, where they thank all the people who sang, turns out they were backing vocalists. Heck, even my old ass has heard of some of the bands they thanked. Mark from Blink-182, Kevin from Walk the Moon, Dave from Tokyo Police Club ... the others not so much (at least not yet). That totally makes sense now.

Man, I wish they'd decided to include lyrics and credits. I love credits. The insert had a nice blank side that would have been perfect. I guess kids today don't read. TLDR.

If you've read any of my other stuff, you've probably guessed this is one of my Marco Polo Platters, and man, I'm really glad I picked this one up. I've run this through a few times now, and it's so good and too bloody short ... but honestly, they couldn't be longer ... a conundrum. Well, the adage is leave the people wanting more.

Matt and Kim were a great discovery, and it's nice to know that alternative music is alive and well. You just need to know where to look. With my new discovery in hand I took it upstairs to play and my son goes, "Oh I know these guys." 

Figures.