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Product Description
Review
Pivot are an Australian trio made up of Dave Miller and brothers Richard and Laurenz Pike. If that last name is in any way familiar, it may well be for his membership of pioneering jazz/electronica trio Triosk (who broke up last year), though it might also be for his contributions to Savath + Savalas and Flanger. O Soundtrack My Heart is Pivot's debut album though it's the result of a lengthy maturation as the band formed back in the late 90s.
October is a fun opener. Subterranean rumblings sound like Giorgio Moroder tunnelling underground while on the surface Super Mario's Princess Peach daintily plays a harp accompanied by Mario on biscuit tin percussion. Next up, In The Blood comes on in film theme mode, nicely chiming with the album title. Said theme is menaced by super-size-me portions of manic, scrabbling guitar and, later on, billowing synths which altogether make for an enjoyably full-blooded experience. The title track follows in similar mode: muscular guitar, pounding drums, sudden left turns and unexpected handclaps.
Ninth track Epsilon begins with contemplative guitar, stick percussion and funny, double speed keyboard effects before hitting its stride three minutes in with a stomping rhythm that gradually accelerates to a racing finale. Those musical left turns mentioned earlier in this review have provoked at least one scribe to invoke the term 'prog'. However the usual qualities associated with that still derided genre are lacking in Pivot's music, which is intuitive and emotionally charged as borne out by titles like Love Like I, Didn't I Furious and closing track My Heart Like Marching Band. Pivot's music is a fascinating hybrid that should appeal to open-minded indie lovers as much as fans of old and new school electronica. --Colin Buttimer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best albums of 2008,
By
This review is from: O Soundtrack My Heart (Audio CD)
This album may be labeled as an electronic instrumental album, but actually a lot more to it than that. In essence Pivot have produced a rock/electronic record of sublime qualities, without crossing the boundary into prog-rock land. I think even with multiple listens it's hard to pigeonhole (obviously a good sign), as there is plenty of originality and variety across all of `O Soundtrack my heart'.It kicks off with the short and mysterious `October' resplendent with what sounds like the motion sensor sound effect from the film Aliens, and moves into `In the blood' - one of the stand out tracks with its edgy guitar and frantic drumming. The title track itself is beautifully realised and is a perfect blend of the bands rock/electronic style. It's probably not until you reach `Fool in rain' that there is a really electronic heavy track, it sounds a little like Air but owes more to the Vangelis Blade Runner soundtrack than anything else. The album continues with consistently good tracks - `Sweet memory' is funky and more upbeat, `Epsilon' does what I'm a real sucker for in a track, it starts off slowly and builds up to a faster pace without missing a beat, then the whole thing is rounded off with the subdued `My heart like marching band' which is the perfect outro in balance with the opening track. There isn't really much to critisise here - `Love like I' is the only weak track in my opinion; it tends to meander a bit and doesn't really grab me like the rest of the album. But as a whole Pivot have produced an album with many moments of musical genius. If you like electronic music you'll like this, and it also stands up as a very good rock instrumental record. In fact the guitar playing and drumming in particular on several tracks is as good as I've heard in a long time. A great start from the band, lets hope we hear much more from them in future.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Outlandish Funky Electronic-minded Progressive Rock?,
By Andrew J. Klimek - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: O Soundtrack My Heart (Audio CD)
I'd say 3.5 stars, but I assume these guys work better live. I'm having a hard time understanding this album. It's really quite zany! Given that the songs are all over the place, and the main instruments are guitar, drum, and bass-this stuff must be progressive rock. However, there are no vocals, no central motif spanning the album, no extra long songs, and the music never feels at all epic. There are certainly some electronic tendencies, with funny little electronic loops and highly processed guitar and bass. A track overview may assist us best here.1 "October" is an ambient intro-type track, not terrible entrancing. Glitchy cymbal work with floating guitar chords and spooky sound effects. 2 "In the Blood" is a great example of their over-all vibe. Acidic monster bass line, funk drumming, and guitar work that toggles from chill jazz to wild ringing leads. Find a sample somewhere. Come to think of it these guys sort of remind me of Fila Brazillia, when they grab the same instruments. 3 "O Soundtrack My Heart" is a bit too progressive for me... reminds me of the outlandish Fifth Element soundtrack 4 "Fool in Rain" is a real gem, very mellow and chilled 5 "Sing, you Sinners" is another great song. Sounds "indie" to me, whatever that means. Has a classic indie-folk chorus vocalizing in the background. Reminds me of Anathallo or Efterklang. 6 "Sweet Memory" is track pulls of the whole progressive things really well. It builds up, and has a second movement towards the end of the track that sounds like n5MD's answer to Explosions in the Sky--definitely "IDM post-rock." 7 "Love Like I" is the fourth winner in a row, they build up from soft, glitchy IDM-style percussion to come back to their classic progressive sound. 8 "Didn't I Furious" Woah! Too progressive now! 9 "Epsilon" starts out with a percolating electronic layer that persists all the way to the classic progressive ending. 10 "Nothing Hurts Machine" starts off with their classic vibe and ends pretty heavy! Sort of a continuous line from the previous track--good job. 11 "My Heart Like Marching Band" is an ambient out-tro, equally forgettable. An organ holds one wavering chord while spooky sounds filter by. These guys are obviously bursting with ideas and can really jam, but at times they are either too progressive, or they progress too fast! In my opinion, the best track on this discs are the ones with a little more focus, namely, 4-7. (And, for Pivot, focused does NOT equal boring!)
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 stars for a truly amazing album,
By Mr. D. R. Ashton - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: O Soundtrack My Heart (Audio CD)
Wow.I have seriously been blown away by this album. I agree with the review above, there are a couple of tracks which seem to be pure filler. But the rest is a perfect experience. How best to describe it? If Battles and the electronic side of Trans Am got together and had audio babies, this would be the result. Throw in a dose of prog, and there you have Pivot. 10/10.
4.0 out of 5 stars
An experimental cinematic sonic experience,
By J. Tillman - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: O Soundtrack My Heart (Audio CD)
While listening to 'O Soundtrack My Heart' I thought to myself: This is what would have happened if Jean Michel Jarre & Richard D James collaborated with Pink Floyd on a dystopianesque movie soundtrack. The result is pretty astounding. There are a few hit and misses but as a whole the album is a fresh breath of air in a vacuum of pointless and unimaginative music. I picked up this album solely on the label's insignia but i'm glad I did because as a huge fan of Warp records I rarely regret my purchase. Pivot is now on my list of artists to follow and will be for a long time to come.Standout tracks for me: O Soundtrack My Heart Fool in Rain Love Like I Epsilon |
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