PVT—When Machine Became Man

A look back at the work of the experimental sounds of PVT (once known as Pivot until they dropped the vowels), the Australian band ruffled some feathers when they released their fourth release, Homosapien. Critics either loved or hated the fact that the band was not afraid to push forward and make themselves more accessible.

Drowned in Sound did not like that they strayed from their career highlight and the album O Soundtrack My Heart that made the group so “vital and promising. Pitchfork said about the album, “Homosapien‘s constant fluctuations between styles means it’s a mercurial and somewhat uneven listen.”

Pitchfork is not wrong, there’s a lot of give and take to this release that could cause initial shock to the world of PVT as the first few albums professed. But a song like “New Morning” blends the estranged almost drunken vocals with dark pop prowess that presents vampire vibes.

“I’m going to live forever. I’m going to love you again, any way. . . any way . . . any way.”

Transforming into constantly shifting effects, electronic gaze, and guitar side conversations, you get pulled into the tug of war that is their charm. What once was a less poppy collaboration with Scott Herren (Prefuse 73 and Savath y Savalas), Church With No Magic explored dense abrasive prog with ambient minimalism.

We’ve experienced Richard Pike’s vocals but not like this. Everything on Homosapien is up front and in your face. Pike puts on his best Robert Smith on “Vertigo” as rhythms spin around his words. Elsewhere, he loses himself in a mantra that drifts from the song but never from the parameters, always bringing us into context.

The more you pay attention to the little nudges and nooks of this recording, the more fascinating PVT becomes. They may exploit the volume on a bass line or flirt with some electronic arpeggios while breaking them up with looping strings and strange harmonic vocal hums. It’s their way of wonderfully bringing together a seamless collage of instruments, electronics, old keyboards, and machines and refurbishing it into a fun, syrupy pop ride.

This is the album that defined their sound only to find themselves releasing one more album four years after. What may not be a defining moment in Richard Pike’s career, it was a stepping stone that led to greater success (have you seen the installations he has created?). His work from television and film to music projects like Deep Learning has shown how versatile of a creator that he really is.