The Optimist
British synth-pop specialists New Young Pony Club recently released their second album, The Optimist. This is their follow up LP to 2007’s Fantastic Playroom, where they delivered catchy synths and danceable music that was simple, but very easy to like. The album’s title track definitely comes through with their signature sound , as does most of their second album, which does little to branch out or expand on their original style. However, on ‘Stone,’ one of the highlights of the album, the band uses their simple synth loops to create a slow and more intricate melody than anything that appeared on their first LP.
Overall, The Optimist comes off as a more polished version of their first album. Today we crave originality in our music, we expect bands to take risks and come up with something we’ve never heard before. At the same time, I feel it’s important to take music like this at face value. The Optimist isn’t groundbreaking in any way; it’s simply fun, catchy dance music that can run through your head for days after hearing it, which is good enough for us. See what you think for yourself.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The Optimist- New Young Pony Club
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
It’s definitely got a good groove to it. Kind of builds up before grabbing you with vocals.
Cool.