Young the Giant (album)

Background

Following the departure of keyboardist Ehson Hashemian in late 2009, rock group The Jakes changed its name to Young the Giant. Lead singer Sameer Gadhia said the new band name did not have any specific meaning, but that it epitomized the band they had become. "I was thinking about what we want to portray," Gadhia said. "We are still youthful, but when we aren't, we still want to have that exuberance in our music."

In early 2010, Young the Giant began work on its debut album with Grammy-winning producer Joe Chiccarelli. The album features live track recording, which the band had never previously attempted. Drummer Francois Comtois noted that working with Chiccarelli for the sessions "was incredibly intimidating, but he kicked our asses into shape." Gadhia also recalled the experience: "We were criticized in ways we had never even thought of, and were constantly pushed to reach the next level. Looking back on it, [...] he shaped us into better musicians, performers, and songwriters. It was also great fun hearing his stories about Bono, Jay-Z and Elton John.

Composition

An underlying theme of the album, according to Gadhia, is the "feeling of isolation and almost surreal happiness with a lover." Much of the album was inspired by the beach, Gadhia said. "It is summery, kind of an Orange County sound. When we first started doing this seriously and living together, Newport was just like eternal summer for us. We did draw from a lot of that." In particular, the track "Strings" is an attempt to showcase the sounds of the beach. Gadhia described that the band wanted to "have the arrangements cascade together and, tonally, we all worked hard with Joe to recreate the fervor and wetness of splashing waves."

Gadhia said the track "My Body" is an embodiment of the band: "a combination of youthful energy and slightly naive but optimistic determination. It captures a sense of passion, urgency and excitement that we've felt throughout the writing and recording process over the past two years." Another song, "Cough Syrup", was co-written by former bandmate Ehson Hashemian and dates back to the 2008 EP "Shake My Hand", when the band was still known as The Jakes.

Release

Three tracks - "My Body", "I Got" and "Strings" - were leaked individually prior to the album's October 26, 2010 digital release. Young the Giant was released on CD and vinyl in the United States on January 25, 2011. It debuted and peaked at number six on the Billboard Top Heatseekers albums chart. First U.S. single "My Body" peaked at number eight on the Alternative Songs chart. The album was released May 2 in the UK, with "Apartment" as the lead international single. The album peaked at number 83 on the UK Albums Chart.

Reception

Young the Giant has received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a score of 58/100 based on thirteen reviews on Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Jody McCutcheon of ChartAttack described the album as having "12 songs rich in texture and progression, vocal hooks and catchy guitar riffs," and said the band "suffuse their sound with a thick, juicy ecstasy." Caitlin Meyer commends the album for "boasting consistent catchiness while also incorporating a delectable combination of continuity, depth, and progression." Meyer added it is "the kind of record that grabs you at first listen and becomes more meaningful every time through." David Menconi of Spin compliments the manner in which "Sameer Gadhia sings in a declara-tive key of unwavering determination, undergirded by Jacob Tilley's sophisticated guitar sprawl and Francois Comtois' martial drums as the band's debut album goes marching on and on and on." Amazon.com ranked Young the Giant as the third best rock album of 2010.

Chris Conaton of PopMatters called the album unoriginal, and that the band knows "how to replicate the strong moments in rock history. But they have yet to really figure out their own stylistic stamp." Pitchfork Media's Ian Cohen called the album "devoid of personality," explaining that "politely distorted guitars twist and churn but never turn into riffs. Choruses become placeholders instead of hooks." Cohen also criticized the lyrics for being "neither plainspoken enough to reveal simple truths nor evocative enough to scan as poetry."

British artist Morrissey, known for outspoken skepticism towards modern music, praised the album on the fansite True to You.

Track listing

All tracks written by Young the Giant, except where noted.