Ellington

The 10-song custom on a record is a sort of persisting, self-imposed limit in music. Back when the option was vinyl or nothing, it made sense. One dual-sided, groove-covered disc could comfortably fit 10 songs of fairly sizeable length. With the clear, and unquestionably old news, shift toward digital format, you'd expect every artist to make the best use of an extended playtime.

Instead, we're stuck on the same, outdated model and, what's worse, often receive albums with more misses than hits and songs that are B-sides at best finding prominent placement on a record. Then, of course, there are the exceptions. And, my, how exceptional they can be.

Thank goodness for Young the Giant's "Mind Over Matter." Released in the dry spell of January, it sated my appetite for new music brilliantly with 13 tracks that are satisfying and full without additional filler. No, numerically, 13 doesn't sound vastly more impressive than 10 (It's three more—I went to college), but it's definitely an audible difference. Everything from the record's swelling synth introduction, the accurately named "Slow Dive," to the had-to-have-one single-guitar track "Firelight" feels intentional and necessary.

I should have caught onto how special "Mind Over Matter" would be when the California quintet behind it was so keen on pushing singles and full-record streams and, generally, advertising out the wazoo, but as a new listener to Young the Giant, I had no context for those elated releases. So, I'll give you some of the context I was missing. It's a simple concept, at least in theory, that the band is on a path toward mastering: to craft each song unto itself without adhering to an explicit style. Yet, through creative and deliberate songwriting, "Mind Over Matter" is made all the more cohesive for its variety.

Though vocalist Sameer Gadhia has a decidedly "pop voice," he uses it to deliver wide-ranging melodies with the lighthearted eccentricity characteristic of many great rock performers. Guitarists Jacob Tilley and Eric Cannata provide the always-transitioning riffs and reverb-riddled playground that allow Gadhia's voice to work with hauntingly pure efficacy throughout "Mind Over Matter."

In terms of genre, Young the Giant might be the first band that I would rather leave at "indie rock." Otherwise, I might give myself a headache. It's not impossible to draw a line to the influences behind each song, drumming up comparisons, but you'll find that some of them are strangely contrasting with others. The title track "Mind Over Matter" has some of the Bee Gees slow-dancing '70s vibe, complete with light orchestral accompaniment; the driving first single "It's About Time" is a deftly written prog-rocker in the vein of Queens of the Stone Age; and the ethereal "Camera" calls an association with alternative greats like Grizzly Bear.

The obvious issue with comparing Young the Giant with other, unrelated artists is that, if any of these influences don't fall in your preferential wheelhouse, you might be turned away from "Mind Over Matter." But, rest assured—this odd melding of styles yields music that is altogether fun, imaginative, and wholly unique, a rare adjective in modern music and one that I don't use lightly. With the sheer amount of diversity that this now decade-old band displays with its newest release, Young the Giant's "Mind Over Matter" might have something for every music lover.