‘Tremendous Sea of Love’ review: Passion Pit’s album for a cause

Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos says that he has stepped away from being a commercialized artist and his new album, “Tremendous Sea of Love” (Wishart Group), is part of that move.

Angelakos initially made the album available for free to fans who tweeted support of his #weneedscience campaign in March. Now he is making it an official release, with all proceeds going to psychiatric scientific research at the Broad Institute’s Stanley Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“Tremendous Sea of Love” often finds Angelakos at his most immediate, unguarded pop melodies like “Hey K,” where he declares, “Love is the answer” over a soaring bed of synthesizers, and the upbeat thrill ride “I’m Perfect.”

The sweet ballad “To the Otherside” and the singer-songwriter throwback soul of “You Have the Right” could easily find a home on pop radio, the way “Take a Walk” or “The Reeling” did, if that was what Angelakos wanted at this point. However, instead of advancing his own interests, Angelakos is focusing on furthering the interests of all artists, which he hopes will help create the “Tremendous Sea of Love” that he seeks.