Mind over Matter (Young the Giant album)

Mind Over Matter
Studio album by Young the Giant
Released January 21, 2014 (2014-01-21)
Recorded February 2012 – January 2014
Genre Indie rock, alternative rock
Length 52:55
Label Fueled by Ramen
Producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen
Young the Giant chronology
Young the Giant
(2010)		 Mind over Matter
(2014)
Singles from Mind over Matter
  1. "It's About Time"
    Released: October 28, 2013
  2. "Crystallized"
    Released: December 10, 2013
  3. "Mind over Matter"
    Released: May 6, 2014

Mind Over Matter is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Young the Giant. It was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and released on January 21, 2014 through Fueled by Ramen.[1][2] Promoted by the singles "It's About Time" and "Crystallized", the album has received generally favorable reviews from music critics.

Promotion

The lead single from the album, "It's About Time", was released on October 28, 2013,[3] together with an accompanying music video.[4] On December 10, 2013, it was followed by the release of the second single, "Crystallized",[5] for which a music video was released a day earlier.[6]

As of 14 January 2014, the album could be streamed for free on iTunes until its official release on January 21, 2014.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic67/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk7/10[8]
AllMusic[9]
Consequence of SoundC-[10]
Contactmusic.com2/5[11]
The Gazette[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
Sputnikmusic3.7/5[14]

Mind over Matter received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67, based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[7]

Rating the album three stars out of five, Timothy Monger of AllMusic called the album "an able, straightforward modern indie rock record," and wrote that the band was at its best on some of the lighter songs on the album, such as "Firelight" and "Waves". However, he noted that "the type of mainstream guitar/synth rock Young the Giant pursue is littered with similar acts, making it tough to rise above the din. Comparisons to stadium-filling bands like Coldplay and Phoenix are not out of line, but there is a general lack of distinction to much of the music on Mind Over Matter, suggesting that the band still hasn't discovered its defining characteristics."[9]

Consequence of Sound's Kristofer Lenzon wrote that Mind over Matter "documents the metamorphosis of the band from indie darling who could to full-blown arena rock overlords." However, he noted that "all the gloss and shimmer doesn't add to the overall enjoyment of the album, but presents a wavering distraction from the content," and that at times Justin Meldal Johnson's heavy production seems to be trying to compete with the strength of lead singer Sameer Gadhia's vocals: "Virtuosic talents like Gadhia's often sound best when given room to breathe and expand, as on Young the Giant's 'God Made Man' or Mind Over Matter's 'Firelight', where a simple plucked guitar line and atmospheric tones serve as a platform, not competition for Gadhia. The result is the sweetest and most emotionally impactful song on the record. (...) On an album so choked with production, the simplest moment is its most affecting."[10]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Young the Giant, except "Eros" written by Young the Giant and Justin Meldal-Johnsen. 

No. Title Length
1. "Slow Dive"   0:47
2. "Anagram"   4:54
3. "It's About Time"   3:45
4. "Crystallized"   4:00
5. "Mind Over Matter"   4:04
6. "Daydreamer"   3:58
7. "Firelight"   5:33
8. "Camera"   5:12
9. "In My Home"   3:39
10. "Eros"   4:10
11. "Teachers"   3:40
12. "Waves"   4:38
13. "Paralysis"   4:34
Total length:
 52:55

Personnel

Young the Giant
  • Sameer Gadhia – lead and backing vocals, percussion, piano, organ, synthesizer, keyboards
  • Jacob Tilley – guitar, mellotron, synthesizer
  • Eric Cannata – guitar, backing vocals
  • Payam Doostzadeh – bass guitar, synthesizer
  • François Comtois – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Additional musicians[15]
  • Justin Meldal-Johnsen – acoustic guitar, percussion
  • Carlos de la Garza – percussion
  • Jessica Ramseier – vocals
  • Steven Aho – orchestration
  • Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – conducting, string arrangements
Technical personnel[15]
  • Justin Meldal-Johnsen – production, engineering, programming
  • Carlos de la Garza – engineering
  • David Schwerkolt – engineering
  • Mike Schuppan – engineering, engineering assistant
  • Dave Schwerkolt – engineering assistant
  • Rich Costey – mixing
  • Martin Cooke – mixing assistant
  • Nicolas Fournier – mixing assistant
  • Bo Hill – mixing assistant
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Mike Liguori – A&R
  • Mark Obriski – art direction, design
  • Matt Wisniewski – collage, cover collage
  • David Vincent Wolf – photography

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[16] 7
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[17] 32
US Billboard 200[18] 7
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[19] 2

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions
US
Alt
[20]		 US
Rock
[21]
"It's About Time" 2013 2 17
"Crystallized" 35 27
"Mind over Matter"[22] 2014 15 31
"—" denotes release that has not charted.

References

  1. ↑ "Mind Over Matter CD". store.youngthegiant.com. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Mind Over Matter by Young the Giant". iTunes. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  3. ↑ "It's About Time - Single by Young the Giant". iTunes. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Young the Giant: It's About Time [OFFICIAL VIDEO]". YouTube. October 28, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Crystallized: Young The Giant". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Young the Giant: Crystallized [OFFICIAL VIDEO]". YouTube. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Mind Over Matter Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ Robson, Gregory (January 22, 2014). "Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Monger, Timothy (January 24, 2014). "Mind Over Matter - Young the Giant". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Lenzon, Kristofer (January 24, 2014). "Album Review: Young the Giant – Mind Over Matter". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  11. ↑ Lai, Alex (August 12, 2014). "Young The Giant – Mind Over Matter Album Review". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  12. ↑ Perusse, Bernard (January 19, 2014). "New music review: Mind Over Matter, Young the Giant (Warner Music Canada)". The Gazette. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  13. ↑ R. Weingarten, Christopher (February 21, 2014). "Young The Giant Mind Over Matter Album Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Review: Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter". Sputnikmusic. January 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Mind Over Matter - Young the Giant | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Young the Giant – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Young the Giant. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Young the Giant – Mind over Matter" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Young the Giant – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Young the Giant. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Young The Giant – Chart history" Billboard Top Rock Albums for Young The Giant. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Young The Giant Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Alternative Songs for Young The Giant. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Young The Giant Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Rock Songs for Young The Giant. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on June 21, 2014.
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