We confess we have had a difficult time separating out Passion Pit from all the Matt & Kim’s, Cut Copy’s, Phoenix’s, etc. (not a knock on these bands, just a comment on the burgeoning genre).  So it has come as a sweet surprise to catch the band’s Michael Angelakos and Ian Hultquist making the radio rounds and playing unplugged.  Finally our focus has been drawn to the band’s songwriting and, it turns out, well-crafted, poignant lyrics.  As opposed to the more cheery sounding synths and sonorities of their prior recordings, their second album, Gossamer, evinces a darker, more intelligent depth below its surface.  And all of it has thankfully come to the fore with these unplugged performances.  On Gossamer, songwriter Michael Angelakos lyrically addresses alcoholism, hospital stints and suicidal tendencies.  Watch/listen to some new and old songs performed recently on 89.3 The Current, 98.7FM Penthouse and NPR’s Tiny Desk.  Bravo!

The lyrics of stand-out song Take a Walk follow the videos.  Spoken/sung like a Greek lad.

Take a Walk lyrics:

“All these kind of places
Make it seems like it’s been ages
Tomorrow some new buildings will scrape the sky
I love this country dearly
I can feel the ladder clearly
But never thought I’d be alone to try

Once I was outside Penn Station
Selling red and white carnations
We were still alone
My wife and I
Before we married, saved my money
Brought my dear wife over
Now I work to bring family state side

But off the boat they stayed awhile then scattered across the coast
Once a year I’ll see them for a week or so at most

Chorus:
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
Take a walk, 0h-oh-oh
I take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Practice isn’t perfect
But the market cuts the loss
I remind myself that times could be much worse
My wife won’t ask me questions
There’s not so much to ask
And she’ll never flaunt around an empty purse

Once my mother in law came
Just to stay a couple nights
Then decided she would stay the rest of her life
I watch my little children
Play some board game in the kitchen
And I sit and pray they never feel my strife

But then my partner called to say the pension funds were gone
He made some bad investments, now the accounts are overdrawn

Chorus

Honey, it’s your son
I think I borrowed just too much
We had taxes, we had bills
We had a lifestyle to front
And tonight I swear I’ll come home
And we’ll make love like we’re young
And tomorrow you’ll cook dinner
For the neighbors and the kids
We could rip apart those socialists
And all their damn taxes
But see I am no criminal
I’m down on both bad knees
I’m just too much a coward
To admit when I’m in need

Chorus”