Singer, songwriter, and everything-player Michael Angelakos hasn’t changed his strategy for his second Passion Pit album: The lyrics are still soul-searching, the music is still lively and upbeat, and the infectious hooks are everywhere. This time Angelakos has varied the soundscapes even more, from techno-disco on “Hideaway”, to proggy Eno-isms on a few tracks, to the pop Americana on “Take a Walk,” whose lead accordion and chant-along chorus recall the Hooters. And that MTV-era parallel is appropriate, since this album recalls a time when commercial pop could sound like anything.
