Photo: Press
Many songwriters attempt to write upbeat songs about feeling downbeat. But few do it such such skill as Michael Angelakos, the principal architect behind Passion Pit.
Over a career that has seen some spectacular highs (headlining Madison Square Garden in 2013) and some challenging lows (Angelakos has been open about his struggles with bipolar disorder), Passion Pit have evolved into a true alt-pop powerhouse. The band's latest album Kindred is their most fully realised work yet.
To mark the release a mildy jetlagged Angelakos sat down with Gigwise in West London to talk about showtunes on vinyl, disastrous DJ gigs and turning down the chance to talk Bruce Springsteen.
Gigwise: You've produced some impressive clear vinyl special editions of Kindred...
Michael Angelakos: Didn't the UK just start a vinyl chart? That's amazing. The reason why I bring it up is because I take vinyl pretty seriously. I feel like we should embrace the fact that people are finally coming round to it and actually a lot of younger kids are buying it up. Whether or not they're doing it for the art and just to have this physical package - even if they're not really even playing it but are using a download code. At the end of the day it's just respecting the format. That's fantastic to me.
Is there a record in your collection, you're particularly proud of?
I have a couple of really amazing pieces. I have a first edition pressing of Judy Garland's Judy In Love And The Voice Of Frank Sinatra. Have you heard Judy's voice on vinyl? The timbre and that cabaret belt she has translates better on record than any other format. There are a lot of people who have a hard time with hi-fi audio and I'm one of those guys. I've gotten really into my setup and my records and taking care of them accordingly.
Hearing any of the cabaret singers like Judy or even Barbra Streisand... you hear them on record and it's just out of control. It's like you're in the room. By the way, original pressings don't always sound better. I sometimes have two versions: the first press and the pressing that just sounds better. A lot of the pressings done today are actually incredible I would say, much better than the originals. I have a lot of that with opera, a lot of opera records. They just won't print them again on vinyl.
Where do you stand on Record Store Day?
I get what people are criticising about it they're definitely clogging these plants. But I don't know, they are bringing more attention to the vinyl. It's in some ways kind of annoying and in some ways like the greatest thing ever. I just like the fact that people are going out and buying vinyl. I just get mad because I see [RSD] pressings and I'm like "Oh! I want that collection of 45s. Why can't you just print more of those and spread the love?" But then again there's something special about it. You want to create that fervour.
Can you recommend a good book?
I'm constantly reading all these books and collections of short stories: I'm backed up majorly but isn't that always the case? I finally finished Department Of Speculation by Jenny Offill which I was carrying out with me for a month or two. It was a small book and I was like: "This is ridiculous. Get to it." Finding time for those things is really important because that's the stuff that influences me more than any music I hear.
You DJ occasionally. Have you ever cleared a dancefloor?
Oh God, it was so good! I played this one place, we just randomly showed up and they said "You can play whatever you want." And it was very clearly a four-on-the-floor house situation. But I was told we could play whatever we wanted. I was just messing around and having fun. Then the controller broke and I wasn't able to cue correctly. And it would drop in the middle: when the song would stop playing and it would just be silent. Man, it was terrible.
I wasn't taking it too seriously... but these people wanted to dance. I thought "OK I probably shouldn't have come here to play. I was misled. Had I known the situation I would not have done it there." I didn't know what I was doing. But I like throwing myself into the fire and just trying stuff. I'm so tired of being hesisitant and reluctant and saying 'I don't know..' Because you're never going to do it otherwise.
What were you playing?
All this R&B. I think I was playing one of my friends tracks - Cashmere Cat - I was doing a remix by him. People were just not having it. But you know I wasn't really selling it very well. I never claim to be a good DJ. Because I was playing it the night before in Paris and everyone was really into it. I then realised "Oh wait.... people DJ very specific types of music at different places for reasons." I think I was almost knifed afterwards.
You recently talked about how you're not as in love with some of your biggest songs like 'Take a Walk'...
It's just 'Take A Walk'. And maybe 'The Reeling' a little bit but I've come to understand what's cool about it in some ways. I should clarify - I really like elements of 'Take a Walk' but I dislike the song in regards to how it works with the rest of the Passion Pit catalogue. It makes no sense.
I'm a person who's obsessed with continuity: clearly if you hear this new record I like nailing down a sound. There are limitations sometimes with being in a band: you nail down a sound. But people who make music like electro-pop and so on - you're dealing with wave forms and you can make any type of sound you want. You can really go in any direction. And I just felt like 'Take A Walk' was just not totally indicative of where I was as a songwriter and what I was capable of.
Furthermore what I really wanted to achieve with that type of song which was kind of a character study. It was just so serious sounding and it's about very serious topics... but not what people are talking about. It was misunderstood on top of that.
It's a song I enjoy playing live now. Live, it's really fun because it's so communal: it's so much about everyone singing together and it feels right. But you've got to understand you've got so many chances when you're making music and releasing it and trying to connect with people.You want to make sure every single little opportunity, you make the most of it. And sometimes I feel like, in the case 'Take A Walk', I feel like I could have written a much better song. I know what worked on that song: I know why it resonated with people and what made it hooky and so on. I just think "I could have done such a better job." I really do. And I think that's completely reasonable.
Even Morrissey regretted some of the lyrics he has written...
Yes but he writes so much. If you're that profific (and if you're allowed to be that prolific and you have the means to be that profilic) then I think you can say it and there's less weight to it. If I say it... I only have six singles right? And two that went to radio. 'Sleepyhead' and 'Little Secrets' never went to radio. Which is insane to me actually. It's heartbreaking because you think "I could have reached so many people." But it wasn't the right time wasn't the right place.
You follow a lot of comedians on twitter. Who do you particularly admire?
Patton Oswalt is awesome. He's always sharp and funny. Most comedians are some of the smartest people. He goes out and calls people out on their shit. You put yourself in the line of fire every time you do that and he's fearless in that respect. I tend to really admire anyone who does that as I used to that type of thing -and then I just got really scared because a lot of people have a lot of opinions and they just don't care. Oftentimes I'd be like "I know I'm right but all these people are giving me shit." I couldn't take it. When someone can and they just continually doing it and they're just standing up for everyone, that I find incredibly inspiring. Beyond him being amazingly funny: it's like a public service for Chrissakes!
Who else do think does that really well?
Stephen Fry is amazing in that world. He doesn't necessarily do it in such a confrontational way. He's just such an eloquent speaker. He's just so unbelievable at everything he does. He's another person who sticks up for people.
Also Donald Glover is just a super smart guy. I find him to be one of the most interesting people. Put it this way: he's going to have a really amazing career. I think people underestimate him and I think that's really good - he can only use that to his advantage because he's going to continually surprise people and take them. He's really going to do some very special things.
How was it working with Ryn Weaver and Benny Blanco?
It was probably the most fun I've had working on a record ever. Because Benny and I work so well together. She didn't know what she wanted at first because it's your first record, it's scary - but she had such enormous lyrical talent that we wanted to make sure we created a world that could pop through. And that's a really hard thing to do. Mostly today it's not really about any type of lyrical forward music. It was a matter of making something appropriate for them and with them. I felt almost as though it was like too fun. I honestly think I'm lucky to have had the chance to work with her.
Can you talk about a situation you've been starstruck?
This just recently happened. Someone was like "Hey I work with Randy Newman and maybe we can schedule a lunch. You can come into the offices and he might be there and you can meet him." And I just adamantly refused. I couldn't do it. Because I saw him once before maybe 10ft away at a festival walking to perform. He's one of my ultimate heroes and I remember getting so scared thinking of meeting him. He's so important to me that I would make such a fool of myself
One time when I was walking down the halls I saw Leonard Cohen - because [he's signed to] Sony - I actually started feeling ill. This is crazy [when you're meeting] artists who've had this huge impact, who I just know every song by them. Those two in particular would probably drive me nuts if I was in the room with them and had to meet them. And I'd like to at some point - but it's probably going to take me a while to work up to that.
It happened with Bruce Springsteen as well - he was standing at the side of the stage at Glastonbury. The rest of the band went over and I just [left the stage]. He called us "the digital Beach Boys". Why didn't I go over?
Kindred by Passion Pit is out now and will be touring the US this summer.
