Total Musical Precision
PVT (also known as Pivot) are an Australian electronic rock group who are dropping their fifth album, New Spirit. This newest work features performances that are engineered to perfection while still retaining a touch of human emotion that remains at the heart of each track. The soundscapes that PVT create vary a great deal, as each track inhabits its own unique space on the album. Some of the experimental choices that they make in terms the production can be strange or even off-putting at first, but each song has a depth and warmth that reveal themselves once listeners opens up to what PVT is trying to show them.
The group blend earthy sounds and electronic production on this album very well. One of the songs where this is most readily apparent is “Another Life,” in which the drums sound strange at first, but, as the instrumental pattern extends and everything reveals itself, it becomes the compelling basis to a highly emotional work. This track displays PVT’s ability to draw in listeners and surprise them with their song structure. PVT will appeal to both fans of electronic music and rock. The album features moments where the music feels more like one of these genres and others during which it feels like perfect blend of the two. “Salt Lake Heart” is a prime example of the latter approach, as PVT use hard drum beats and beefy guitar-work to create the backbone of a glistening, yet sad track. The vocals emphasize emptiness, while the instrumentals work to fill that emptiness with the perfect remedy.
Surprisingly, the title track is comparatively unexciting in light of the many other great songs on the album. Although the singing is solid, the instrumental parts are dull and PVT could have done a little more with the concept to make it interesting. This moment does not sour the album, though, as it ends on a positive note with “Fake Sun In China.” This song has contemplative lyrics and instrumentation that takes on an uplifting tone, allowing us to reflect on the journey on which PVT have taken us and to digest the feelings conveyed in New Spirit. Overall, this album is simply a great experience.
Whether one is a fan of electronic or rock music, this album is the perfect entry point into PVT’s style as its tracks immerse listeners into a different sound world. PVT should keep doing their thing because they are making something that only they can create.
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