Matt Kivel
Days of Being Wild
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Days of Being Wild is a beautiful oxymoron. Kivel’s second album, a combination of mellow, pop-folk tracks, is anything but wild as the album never quite builds enough to reach the nomer.
Which is not to say that this album is boring. Hypnotic and primarily acoustic, Days of Being Wild has a distinct west coast vibe — fitting, as Kivel is from Los Angeles. The vocals on Kivel’s sophomore album are compelling, a mix of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos’s falsettos.
Simple but masterful chordal composition accentuate the elegance of this album. However, for the most part, they do not vary much throughout the album. Many of the songs are very similar to each other, to the point that it is sometimes difficult to pick out one that stands above the rest.
With that being said, “Open Road” is the stand out on this album. Picking up the pace a little, Kivel uses the seemingly out of place electric guitar to his advantage, reviving the listener halfway through the album.
While a solidly enjoyable, Days of Being Wild does not inspire passion in its listeners that a great album does. A bit slow at times, Kivel’s newest release is not easily distinguishable amongst peers such as Passenger and Jeremy Messersmith.
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