Passion Pit’s CD, Gossamer, takes you on a musical journey you hardly hear anymore amidst the constant dance beats of 2012. Trust ME, their unique and subtle sounds will draw you in.

The album starts off with the new single, "Take a Walk," which explores the story of immigrants trying to make their way in America. While the track is full of struggle, the beat and mood of the song is not as depressing as one would expect. The song has a quiet, cheery melody, and presents itself as a journey they must get through to get where they want to be.

This appears to be the theme of Gossamer. The lead singer of Passion Pit, Michael Angelasko, takes a walk himself with this autobiographical album. To fully understand the songs, one must know the life Angelasko leads.

Angelasko has been battling bipolar disorder for some time now and started self-medicating himself. It got to the point where he almost ended his own life, and the album almost never happened.

His dark lyrics leave the audience with a haunting vibe, while the techno and R&B feel to the beat leaves you wanting more. The contrast between the tortured lyrics and cheery beats is the music of a man who is suffering from battling his demons and perfecting good music.

Tracks like "Constant Conversations" and "I’ll be Alright" show off a distant side of Angelasko. In "Constant Conversations" he explains that "drinking doesn’t make me nice," which shows his problem with self-medicating and the effect it has on his relationships.

However his expectations do not ring true as he has said he believes his fiancé keeps him alive. In the song "On my Way" he shows this feeling toward his fiancee. The lyrics beg for a woman to understand: just believe in me, Kristina. All these demons, I can beat them." His pleas for help continue on Hideaway," when he croons, "come and take my heart away, someday everything will be okay."      

The cry for help is the underlying theme for Angelasko. His life is his music and this album showcases just the kind of issues he faces in his daily life. This broken man pours his heart out to the world. While his lyrics are sometimes hard to identify with because they are not straightforward, the album is an honest honest perspective of life’s twists and turns.

-Jenna Cusumano