PVT – Church With No Magic review

The PVT formerly known as Pivot return with Church With No Magic, their second album on revered UK imprint Warp. From the opening electronic pulses of “Community” that swirl in kaleidoscopic stereo, the trio unveil ten tracks which showcase a tighter vision of their dense collage of sound.

Allowing the voice of Richard Pike more prominence – he sings on all but two tracks – gives PVT a more coherent sound. The psychedelic bombast of “Light Up Bright Fires” impresses early as does the stuttering bass heavy thump of the title track, where Pike really gets his glam rock croon on. Tracks such as the euphoric fizz of lead single “Window” demonstrate the trio still retain the sonic experimentation that led Warp to sign them up. This is further demonstrated on the melodic ambient drone of “Waves & Radiation” which acts as a gentle precursor for “Circles of Friends”, the album’s outstanding track with manipulation of Pike’s vocals acting as the beat that propels the cascading percussion and vibrant melodic flourishes.

Tony Poland