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Apr 09, 2015 Web Exclusive By Hays Davis

Matt and Kim’s live shows are riotous, high-flying (literally, in Kim’s case) celebrations of pure joy, and whether or not their albums quite match the levels of that buzz, they’re exactly the right soundtrack for that experience.

“Sometimes you just make me lose my mind,” sings Matt Johnson on “Hey Now,” “but if you died I’d die right by your side.” A sweet sentiment that may be, but considering the fat, funky groove that Johnson rides atop while making this declaration, we all know he’s not thinking about leaving anytime soon. When he returns with the question “Can you blame me for just being alive?” over the sunny bounce of “Can You Blame Me,” it’s hard to imagine a more succinct (and catchy) case for existence.

For a keyboard-and-drums duo, the musical settings of New Glow are hardly austere. “Not Alone” explores the full range of Johnson’s palette, with sections of keys, string accents, and bass fuzz, and drummer Kim Schifino tearing along beside him. There’s also plenty going on with the single “Get It,” from sing-along sections to a minimalist break, all in a salute to the pleasures of late-night peaks: “At 1 a.m. we go for gold…we don’t want to go home.”

New Glow isn’t start-to-finish fizz. The downbeat “I See Ya” offers some contrast as an emotional album closer, with Johnson acknowledging those who may not be present but still matter. Otherwise, however, you can drop the needle pretty much anywhere else on the record and land right back in the party. “My life flashed before my eyes/You kill me, hands on my thighs/If death is this then I want to die,” sings Johnson of yet another preferred way to go. But those filtered voices singing the chorus of “Stirred Up” are clear on their intent: “All stirred up/Let’s get it, get it.” Obviously, this is the place to be.

(www.mattandkimmusic.com)

Author rating: 7/10