Angelakos, Michael

Angelakos was born on May 19, 1987 in New Brunswick , New Jersey . At the age of seven, he organized his first group, Dead Grass, and as a personal souvenir he sewed himself a canvas tote bag , decorated with an image of a burning meadow and the members of the group spread out on it. While living in Buffalo , New York , Angelakos showed interest in the style of ska , after which he created Cherry Bing. He also experimented with a number of other musical endeavors throughout his years of study at the Nichols Private Day School in Buffalo, delving into the study of various musical forms and compositions, expanding his musical acumen; during this time he learned to skillfully and swiftly translate his musical thoughts directly into sound. During a visit to Emerson College in the 2000s, Angelakos developed a love for opera, performing sopranos, melodies from the show, and also to the soundtrack ; at the same time the singer continued to write scores for school film disciplines.

Passion Pit (2008 - present)

The first Passion Pit songs, which later entered the mini-album “Chunk of Change”, were written by Angelakos while studying at Emerson College as a belated gift for Valentine’s Day to his then-beloved. At first he wrote and performed all his works alone, using a laptop. After one of his solo concerts in the Greater Boston, Ian Halttuist, then studying at Berklee College of Music, met Angelacos and expressed his interest in creating and performing music together ^[1] . They formed a band that consisted of Angelakos, Haltquist, Ayad El Adami, Tom Plass (bass guitar) and Adam Lavinsky (drums). Passion Pit for a long time trying to develop for themselves the optimal format and structure. Jeff Aprazzes and Neith Donmoyer joined the band shortly after signing a contract with the indie label Frenchkiss Records in 2008, replacing Plass and Lavinsky, respectively ^[2] . In 2012, Xander Singh took the place of Adami.

2007–2009: “Chunk of Change”

On September 16, 2008, the group's debut mini-album “Chunk of Change” was released ^[3] . The first four tracks that came into it were those that Angelakos wrote as a gift for his girlfriend, which became already popular on the entire campus of Emerson College, where at that time the beginning singer was studying, and copies of which he, as a student, independently created and distributed.

The first and only single released with the album (“Sleepyhead”) became the object of much attention and was used in many media campaigns and promotional materials, while the clip for this song, created by The Wilderness, was included in the Top 40 best music videos "according to the music magazine" Pitchfork " ^[4] . The song contains elements of the composition “Óró Mo Bháidín” by Irish singer and harpist Mary O'Hara ^[5] .

Other songs from the mini-album also did not go unnoticed. The composition “Cuddle Fuddle” was used as a soundtrack in episodes 2 and 6 of season 2 of the British overcom “Adolescents” broadcast on E4, and the song “I've Got Your Number” was used to advertise the payment card of the British telecommunications provider O2.

2009-2011: "Manners"

On May 18 and 19, 2009 (in the United Kingdom , and in the United States and Canada , respectively) ^[6] , the group released the first full-length studio album called “Manners”. On May 18, Passion Pit performed at the rock club "Rocks Off" on a cruise ship in New York ^[7] .

In order to achieve special vocal accompaniment, the group invited the PS22 choir of elementary school in Granitville ( Staten Island , New York ), who recorded voice tracks in the studio for three songs of the album ("The Reeling", "Little Secrets" and "Let Your Love Tall ”) ^[8] . In the fall of 2009, the first single released (“The Reeling”) hit the weekly Alternative Bills chart of Billboard , where it reached number 34 on the charts in October ^[9] , while the third released successful single “Little Secrets” hit the 39 line. The song "Let Your Love Grow Tall" was never released as a single, but gained some fame by using it in episode 16 of the 4 season of the comedy television series " Ugly Betty ".

The second single of the album “To Kingdom Come” was used by commercial music service Rhapsody for advertising the application for the iPhone.

"Sleepyhead" was the only song from the album "Chunk of Change" included in "Manners" as a bonus track . She continues to gain fame through advertisements in which it is used. The composition was also used in the 3 season of the teenage drama “ Molokosos ”, and also last time in the video game debut trailer LittleBigPlanet 2 ^[10] , which led to the growing popularity of the group among fans and players of this platform game .

The song “Moth's Wings” was used in the 4 episodes of the 3 seasons of the teenage drama “ Gossip Girl ” on The CW TV channel, as well as in the final credits of the 36 series of the HBO TV series “ Big Love ”. It was used in the football video game " FIFA 10 " and sounds in the film " Life as it is ." In addition, the track was used as a background theme for the UEFA Champions League coverage by the sports television channel Sky Sports and in the television series Awkward on MTV ^[11] .

In June 2009, the group performed at the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Art in the village of Pilton ( Somerset , England ), at which they dedicated their final song to the headliner of the festival to British musician Jarvis Cocker , who was supposed to perform on the same stage later that day ^{[12 ]} .

On April 13, 2010, the band reissued Manners in a gift format that contained three additional tracks: shortened versions of Sleepyhead and Moth's Wings, as well as a cover version of the song Dreams by the Irish rock band The Cranberries . The gift release coincided with the continuation of the Passion Pit tour of North America ^[13] .

In June 2010, the band released a cover version of the song Tonight, Tonight, a hit by the American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins , as part of the Levi's advertising campaign Pioneer Sessions ^[14] .

In September 2010, Passion Pit played for the British rock band Muse during their autumn tour of the United States ^[15] .

2011–2014: Gossamer

In August 2010, in an interview with the English music magazine New Musical Express , Angelakos announced that work on the next album had already begun and that the group intended to release it in spring 2011 ^[16] , but later said that the release was scheduled for early 2012 .

On April 24, 2012, Angelakos announced that the album will be called “Gossamer”, and its release will take place on July 24, 2012.

On May 7, the first track entitled “Take a Walk” ^{[17] was released} , and on June 12 - the second track (“I'll Be Alright”) ^[18] .

On July 9, the third track “Constant Conversations” was named “the best new track” by Pitchfork. It was released with a streaming review ^[19] . Gossamer was officially released on July 20, 2012.

On October 13, the group performed on the NBC live evening television show “ Saturday Night Live ”, performing the songs “Take a Walk” and “Carried Away” ^[20] .

Michael Angelakos, DJ Kill The Noise and rapper Fatman Scoop appeared in the song “Recess”, the second single and the title track of the debut album of the American musician and producer Skrillex . The single was released on July 7, 2014.

2015 - Present: “Kindred”

January 29, 2015 it became known that in the process of creating is a new album of the group called “Kindred”. February 16, 2015 the release of the official track list of the album ^[21] . The album was released on April 21, 2015.

In early 2013, Angelakos married Kristi Mucci ^[22] . On August 27, 2015, the couple announced a divorce. ^[23] In an interview with Bret Easton Ellis on November 9, 2015, Angelakos came out as a bisexual ^{[24] [25]} .

Mental Health

On July 16, 2012, Angelakos posted a message on the Passion Pit website that the group canceled the remaining performances on the tour and stopped touring due to the fact that he needed continuous treatment for bipolar disorder ^[26] . In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine , it was reported that the corresponding diagnosis of Angelacos was made at the age of 17 years and since then he has been undergoing treatment ^[27] , receiving inpatient medical care and taking medications ^[28] . Two days later, Pitchfork, in its main article, explained the essence of the health problems of Ahelakos and their connection to the band's second album. It became known that the singer was supervised to prevent suicide ^[29] . On March 4, 2013, The Huffington Post reported on the apparent recovery of Andhelakos, since on February 8, 2013, Passion Pit held a concert with a sold-out at Madison Square Garden in New York. The article also cited the statement of Angelakos that he had been “in one of the best places he had ever been to.” ^[30] The song “Lifted Up (1985)” is dedicated to the former wife of the musician and that she was with him in a difficult period in his life.

Together with his company The Wishart Group, co-founder Bianca Campuid and neurologists David and Michael Wells, Angelakos is working to change the attitude of the music industry to mental health ^[31] .