Matt & Kim : 'Daylight'
Released: 28th September 2009
Label: Fader Label/Nettwork
‘Daylight’ is the second single taken from Matt and Kim’s fantastic album ‘Grand’ and has a lot to do to follow the sublime ‘Lessons Learned’; a raucous, dance punk song-in-miniature that thrust the New Yorkers into the musical spotlight. You’d think therefore that this single might attempt to dove-tail the first; take the good work forward and rely on the same fundamental principles to provide a similarly evocative, sure-to-succeed sequel, and you’d be as wrong as I was. Where ‘Lessons Learned’ could’ve been written by The Cribs for all it’s simple guitar lead structure and sing along chorus, this song is more likely to have been stolen from one of Jay-Z’s stable of up-and-coming hip hop superstars, those that know they’re bound for glory. Immediately, the beat of the drum strikes you, it’s in and out of sync with the melody and spins this song on its head, taking the duo away from ‘Lessons Learned’ into unchartered and open waters with wind firmly in their sails. Honestly, it’s amazing. Try to get past the fact that Matt’s nasal vocal sounds a little like Zach Braff (I can’t watch Scrubs without singing out loud to Matt and Kim anymore, and with a new series looming, that’s a slight concern), and you’ll find a gem of a band here who have the musical world at their feet. It’s perhaps overly ambitious for me, them, or any one of their fans to expect this song to unleash them towards total global domination because they’re just not that sort of band, but it surely is more than enough to make sure this pair are around for much longer and, crucially, to make them bring their totally unique brand of pop-dance-punk-hip hop beauty to our shores. I’m digressing a little from the song here but despite my obvious adoration there’s little to say – it’s a short song with a fantastic blend of hip hop beats and electro melody, brought together with exuberant vocal delivery, one that completely compliments the song, and acts as a cold slap around the face to anyone who doesn’t yet own the album.
Generously, Matt and Kim opted to give us a track two, but when I saw it was a remix I was a little downbeat. The original recipe is brilliant, so how can any tweaks possible eke out yet more melodic excellence? Answer: they roped in De La Soul and made a song that takes all the class of the original, then shits all over it. A bit rude, like, but when remixes are this good who needs originals? Almost two minutes longer, unquestionably cooler and more diverse than anything the band have yet given to the public, this Troublemaker remix is unreal and takes this CD as a whole from a nine to a ten in four and a half all-too-short minutes.
Matt and Kim have been making waves for a while; ‘Daylight’ might just make them tidal.
10/10
Words: Benjamin Coley
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