Send "Princeton " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Sometime around 2004, cultural critics started typing up twee's obituary. The latest Wes Anderson film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, had flopped. Mild-mannered bands like the Boy Least Likely To and Belle and Sebastian were about to cross over to the Guster/Ben Folds set. And hey, you hear this guy Kanye West? Precious, indie-label pop has regained some critical currency over the past couple of years, but the most contentious stuff is different now. It has swagger.At least, Vampire Weekend do. Sweden's the Tough Alliance and the acts on their Sincerely Yours label do, too, though they've obviously spent serious hours pining over old C86 and Sarah Records bands. L.A. baroque-pop quartet Princeton are similarly unapologetic about their self-presentation: boat shoes, a breakout 2008 EP inspired by London's Bloomsbury intellectual scene, and, on debut full-length Cocoon of Love, worldly references to everything from luxury cars and Kafka stories to hip-hop slang. But Princeton have been putting out records since before anyone heard "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", and the group's singers-- twins Jesse and Matt Kivel-- actually grew up on Princeton Street in Santa Monica. A little too clever? You're starting to understand the problem with Cocoon of Love. Joined by longtime pal Ben Usen on keyboards and newer addition David Kitz on drums, the Kivels tend toward Jens Lekman's dashing orchestration, unexpected samples, doo-wop finger-snaps, and Eeyore vocals. When they toss in Afro-Caribbean flavors, the effect has more to do with the recent sounds of Gothenburg, Sweden, than with certain young Columbia grads. Nevertheless, for all the names ("Sadie and Andy", Saul and "Silvie") and far-flung locales (Germany, Wall Street, San Diego) in these melodic vignettes about dysfunctional couples, there's little of Lekman's unforced charm. It's as if the songs are still growing into an older relative's finest suit....full text |
| Theendofirony |
| At first I thought I'd be a little bored by Princeton's Cocoon of Love. Sure, it the album is completely adorable and dreamy from the first note, but it just started off a little slow. It doesn't stay that way for long. Halfway though "Show Some Love," the second track, it kicked up the tempo just enough to be perky while not abandoning the adorable dreaminess that the band had established on the first track. Sure, there are moments when Princeton fall back into that slower territory on a track or two, but it's sparse enough to actually appreciate it. Don't expect this record to ever get noisy or rock out, but it could still make a good soundtrack to making out with someone in a college dorm room--particularly "Shout It Out."...full text |
| Thelmagazine |
| Princeton is named after the street where half of the California foursome grew up. That repels Vampire Weekend comparisons (Princeton began a year prior), but only before your first listen. When album closer “The Wild” name-checks Cambridge, your suspicions have been confirmed. Princeton’s debut is steeped in post-grad, post-millennial problems: lovers tied to other cities, memories tucked into brand names, over-education and underemployment. The two bands share these themes and some sonic reference points (Africa, the Caribbean), but when all of your commonalities are bought or borrowed, it hardly matters who came first. There are many differences though, and they’re worth talking about. Twin brothers and frontmen Matt and and Jesse Kivel have similar voices, so it’s hard to tell who’s doing what. And both of them are striking as a watercolor landscape: passive, liquid and soothing. Princeton keep the voices deeply mixed into the each songs’ instruments too, so neither are more important than the woody strings or glockenspiel that paint every track. The Kivel brothers easily reference islands and African sounds, melding them with light orchestration without sounding forced on “Calypso Gold.” Princeton’s and VW’s songs seem to share a protagonist: a young, bored, sophisticate who hopes travel—Cambridge, Nagasaki, “seaside towns”—will drag him out of his own detachment. Both Vampire Weekend and Princeton like slipping in the odd, sly hip-hop reference—for VW it was Lil’ Jon, for Princeton, it’s their protagonist’s “stunner shades” slipping down his face....full text |
Princeton lyrics
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