Remember when indoor malls used to dominate the American landscape? Well, imagine yourself walking through a brand new mall in the year 2012. Then imagine walking into the first chic fashion outlet you find. What is that fine balance of electro-pop sounds pumping its way into your consumer psyche? It may be the young Italian duo known as M+A. 

The group consists of Michele Ducci, 19, and Alessandro Degli Angiolo, 22. This debut was recorded in their home studio under a rubric that conforms to “a definite ascetic”. These lads arrogate a quasi-philosophic approach to the music that they compose, claiming that no real language was used in the making of things. yes., “...it’s unnecessary for what we’re trying to do. At the moment, stories don’t appeal to us…We look for coolness without those usual subterfuges of meaning or mysterious words. We don’t want to say anything nor teach it.  We only want to leave something where anyone can feel or imagine what he wants.” The refreshing minimalism of things. yes. mostly succeeds toward this end. It is true that mood trumps story in the musical world of M+A, but the melodies are still accessible. Their approach is intriguing, equal parts Derrida and the Dali Lama. 

The strength of this young duo is their ability to tenderly balance a mash-up of pop influences, from deep house to dub-step. things.yes. borrows from a myriad of sources that echos the now familiar sounds of groups like Passion Pit, Phoenix, Boards of Canada and Air. Still, M+A manages to carve out a unique, more naive, musical voice. Their congruent balance of happy mid- to low-tempo electronic tracks result in a kind of tranquility.  A musical middle way that would please Siddhartha himself, a strength that can also be its greatest weakness. Most tunes tread the middle ground, but remain interesting due to this duo’s skill at weaving tasteful sounds and drum loops into mosaics. things. yes. is pleasing if not exceptionally non-descript, but does not qualify as wallflower music because it possesses a complexity that begs for repeated listens. In this regard, the stand-out tracks include “Liko Lene Lisa”, “Bam”, and the depression-lifting “Yes. pop”.

A few of the tracks would have benefited from a push further out of the mid-tempo zone. While similar in feel, M+A steers away from the epic song movements associated with similar bands. I expect that the song structures will continue to evolve as M+A matures. The best tunes are dominated by crisp bells and vibraphone sounds that root their electro-pop in the organic world. Michele and Alessandro are undoubtedly talented musicians who instinctively understand their medium. This is a stylish debut.

• "things.yes" Streaming
• "yes.pop" MP3
• "Liko Lene Lisa" MP3
• Multiple songs Artist site
• Video Artist site