andPOP » Passion Pit

Passion Pit Moves from Underground to Top 40

andPOP Staff — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:23:42 +0000

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Passion Pit is an example of why this whole “Internet” thing may actually work. The guys first exploded on the blogosphere, developing a huge a following. With the Internet crowd dominated, they are now trying to make the leap to Top 40 music. Jordan spoke with Michael and Nate about the transition.

Tegan and Sara to Release 17-track Remix Album…Of the Same Song

Sara Harowitz — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:24:48 +0000

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Canadian alternative singers Tegan and Sara have got to be going for a record here: 17 remixes of the same song.

Over this past weekend, the duo announced on their website that they will soon release a remix album of 17 different interpretations of their song “Alligator,” reports Pitchfork.com.

The album, which will only be released on iTunes (although a vinyl version is reportedly in the works) is due out March 30. The album includes remixes from artists such as Passion Pit, TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek, Holy Fuck, Ra Ra Riot, and Four Tet, along with Sara Quin’s own original demo of the song.

“If you’ve ever fantasized about having a dance party with 17 versions of the same song… watch out, this is your dream come true,” the Quin sisters wrote on their website.

Check out the complete Alligator track list:

1.) Alligator (Holy Fuck Remix)
2.) Alligator (Passion Pit Remix – 80s Mixtape Jam Flex Edit)
3.) Alligator (Toro Y Moi Remix)
4.) Alligator (VHS or Beta Remix)
5.) Alligator (Doveman Remix)
6.) Alligator (Four Tet Remix)
7.) Alligator (Murge Remix)
8.) Alligator (Ra Ra Riot Remix)
9.) Alligator (Automatic Panic Remix)
1o.) Alligator (Hi-Deaf Remix)
11.) Alligator (Dave Sitek Remix)
12.) Alligator (Sara’s Original Demo Version)
13.) Alligator (Morgan Page Remix)
14.) Alligator (Kevin St. Croix Remix)
15.) Alligator (Mad Decent Remix)
16.) Alligator (Josh Harris Remix)
17.) Alligator (Hamel Remix)

Under The Rock: Once Upon a Passion Pit

Emma Renda — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:45:55 +0000

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Passion Pit are a lesson in modern romance. Ever since I heard their backstory – lead singer Michael Angelakos crafted the EP Chunk of Change as a Valentine’s Day gift for his girlfriend – I knew they would be more to me than just a fling in my musical lifetime. But I never imagined my first close encounter with them would pan out like a fairy tale of its own.

The show was sold out when my companion (I’ll call her Merv) and I arrived at Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa’s go-to live music club. It was shocking enough that a band this sought-after detoured so far into Canada, and even more surprising that the resident’s of Ottawa had enough forethought to buy advance tickets. Not about to give up on our night, Merv and I stuck it out in line until a lush pair of hipsters were escorted from the premises, freeing up some elbow room for the two of us.

The timing could hardly have been more perfect: Passion Pit hit the stage the moment Merv and I were safely inside. They played “Moth’s Wings” and “The Reeling”, and captured the layered essence of their recordings by cramming the stage with a drum kit, synthesizers and more than one stringed instrument. Angelakos sauntered about the clutter, exuding a sort of romantic sex appeal that comes only from a hairy-chested twenty-something singing love songs in falsetto. He hardly spoke a word to the crowd until he announced the last song, “Sleepyhead”, and yet the crowd was hanging on every pulse of the music.

During the beat-heavy intro, I was struck by a cold drop on the back of my neck. It wasn’t the warm sweat trickling from my hairline, nor the condensation from the beer bottle being waved above my head by the girl behind me. It was a drip from the ceiling, releasing its own blend of perspiration - the sort of moment John Hughes would have orchestrated.

On our way to the dingy bathrooms to clean up after the show, we bumped into Jeff (bass) and Ayad (synths/samplers) who informed us Nate (drums) was hosting an after party at a yet unknown venue downtown. In our individual stalls, Merv and I stressed how on earth we were going to find this mystery location. Because after seeing Passion Pit, the only thing you want is more. Then a voice floated under the door: “Cafe Dekcuf.” And I kid you not, when we emerged to the sinks, the bathroom was empty. Spooky.

Dekcuf yielded little more than one dedicated V-necked dancer, but the bar was lined with drenched showgoers desperately trying to rehydrate. Not much of a climax, just a welcome rest following the show. But the state of the audience certainly spoke to the calibre of Passion Pit’s stage presence – all sweat, smiles and perhaps a stumble here or there – it was one of the most successful dance shows I’ve ever attended.

And here I was doubting Passion Pit would mean anything to me in two weeks time. I’m not being facetious when I say there’s a happily ever after here.

Under The Rock: How To Stay On Top of One-Night Stands

Emma Renda — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:45:53 +0000

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There used to be a new buzz band for every season. A soft humming surrounded their obscure name, or an aesthetically-abstract lead singer, or a new use for an autoharp. Gradually, the hype would build, and their album cover would soon begin to look as familiar as a Stop sign. By that point, their name and singer and music concoctions were so well-known they booked Late Night with Jay Leno and appeared on the cover of Spin. (Because Rolling Stone was too busy with American Idol.)

So anyway, the buzz has a cycle and I was getting used to it. Keeping up, even. But this summer I noticed how hopelessly out of the loop I am. The cycle has condensed, I think I have clocked it in at a maximum 14-day turnaround.

At the beginning of July, as I anxiously awaited Ottawa’s annual Bluesfest, all I heard was THE DEAD WEATHER. Jack White’s latest endeavour with Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) and Jack Lawrence(Raconteurs, The Greenhornes). I was ready, I was the one telling people Jack White – yes, the man, the myth and the legend-in-the-making – was going to be in town. I stood stage-side, enraptured during their smoky and bone-chilling set at the festival and afterward I vowed, as I wiped the drool from my chin, to purchase their album and make them my new favourite band.

This was when I noticed the cycle reach warp speed. Just the next day, I was swept into a whole new mode of anticipation: Guelph’s annual Hillside Festival (a.k.a. my reason to live.) I managed to delve briefly into the repertoire of The Dead Weather but was overcome by Hillside’s performer roster.

There was Timber Timbre, Toronto’s latest creep-folk. Then Woodhands, another Toronto export of lively electro-rock. And even though I had all year to get familiar, I was hastily catching up on The Arkells. It was a busy July.

Not two weeks have passed and I had a difficult time crafting the above paragraph, as the bands that just days ago dominated my iPod have escaped my vocabulary in lieu of this week’s flavour. (Briefly: Discovery, Passion Pit, jj.)

Don’t get me wrong, I love the buzz. I love being able complain to DJs that they don’t have “Orange Shirt” and when you hear it at said club next weekend, you can scoff at it being old news. I suppose I just have a problem with longevity. When the old cycle existed – when Born Ruffians and Arcade Fire endured more than a fortnight on my playlist – I had time to get comfortable, time to fall in love with the music. These days, I’ve become hurriedly embroiled in a series of one-night stands.

Which brings me to my point: I’m going to see Passion Pit tonight, a romantically-inclined DJ outfit from Boston that I know you’ve heard of. It’s a big commitment – I mean $12 and a Wednesday night is no small price - but I guess I just want to make the most of our two weeks together.

Tune in later this week to see if it was worth it.