Artist: PVA
Album: More Like This
Genre: Trip Hop/EBM/Synthpop
Label: It’s All For Fun
Rating: 7/10
Four years after their debut album BLUSH, London trio and Windmill scene affiliates “PVA” have returned with their second full-length album No More Like This, and it’s a more developed version of the Industrial-tinged post-club sound featured on BLUSH with instrumentation more focused on making you feel than making you dance. The Downtempo and Trip Hop elements complimented by lead singer Ella Harris’ deadpan almost spoken word vocals bring to mind a band like Massive Attack. This album is rhythmic, atmospheric and somber in tone with a heavy emphasis on either consistent instrumental repetition or instrumentation that builds and builds but maintains a steady flow instead of bursting out into an all out dance party. However, with how brilliantly produced these tracks are, I feel like much of this album would be complimented more if the vocals didn’t always sound deadpan and carried the same weight and emotion as the instrumentation. The talk singing makes sense during the album’s more anti-melodic moments, but there’s some tracks with dreamy synth lines that just feel a bit underwhelming when contrasted with Harris’ subdued vocals. The track “Anger Song” finds Harris giving us a more passionate and luscious vocal delivery which at times frustrates me that the album doesn’t feature more of that, but even with that critique the album is still an enjoyable listen, and it’s interesting hearing the direction all the Windmill alumni are going in.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
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