Pentatonix is on fire. They have taken the music scene by storm, and are winning fans over with every cover and video they do. Their tours are fantastic, their videos are humorous and quirky, and they are lovable, down to earth people.
That was even before their latest release.
PTX, Vol. 2 is a not only a fantastic album, but leaps and bounds ahead of their first release. It has covers and originals like the first, but the quality and arraigning of these ones reveal the ever increasing skill and talent of the group. It opens with the upbeat cover of "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, which is able to showcase each member's talents and strengths, yet able to reveal how in-sync they are with each other. From the Mitch's soaring runs, to Avi's wobbles and bass lines, Kevin's insane beatboxing, and Scott and Kirste's blending and harmonizations, Pentatonix is able to explode out of the box with this cover. After that, it's a smooth transition into the first original on the album, "Natural Disaster", which is lead by Scott, whose power-backed vocals help carry the momentum of the previous track, as well as the clapping track and the gang vocals that explode out on occasion. The chorus is huge, with all of the elements I mentioned coming out even more. My favorite part of this song has to be right after the second chorus, where the beat drops into a half time, and it take on a breakdown feel, accentuated by Avi's insane wobble sounds and Kevin's epic beatboxing.
The next original, "Love Again", is an adventuring into a new genre for Pentatonix; EDM and dance. They've covered dance-oriented songs before, but they've never tried to write one of their own. While this may sound like an odd combo, Pentatonix tackled this challenge and blew it out of the water. Mitch took lead on the vocals this time, which was due to his fascination and familiarity with EDM music, and he is right on point, providing soaring falsetto runs that would fit perfectly on an instrumentally engineered EDM song. The highlight of the song, however, is Avi's incredible bass lines. He gets incredibly low, providing satisfying bass that would be worthy of being blasted in a night club. The harmonization on this track is fantastic as well, with Kirste and Scott blending effortlessly to provide the backing vocals. The overall feel of the song is a bit darker than Pentatonix's norm, and not in a depressing or angry manner. It comes off as more intense, and therefore takes on a darker tone. Most of the others are not like this, however; a great example would be "Hey Momma/Hit The Road Jack", which is part original and part cover. The verses are all original work from PTX, but the chorus is sampled from another song. I love the intro of this song, with Kirste coming in with an almost seductive whisper, and the song exploding into motion with Scott taking back the reins. The song has a bouncy, energetic feel, thanks to the fast pace, the bright vocals and harmonies, and punctual beatboxing. My favorite part is the breakdown/bridge, which is where Scott shines on vocals, with a little bit of a scream in his voice that adds to the building of the moment. I also love the old school feel the song has; it comes off as something out of the 50's with a modern twist.
Not everything on the album is loud and upbeat, however. Songs like "Valentine" and "Run To You" show off the softer side of Pentatonix. "Valentine" is a cover that, like its title would suggest, is a cute and catchy tune about love and romance. It is a very pretty sounding song, with soft vocals, and very few notes and beats that are hard hitting or sharp. The intro is my favorite part, with the vocals all coming at different moments and creating this back and forth nature that has a bell-like nature. It is a shorter tune, but is a solid arrangement and is great for romantic mixes for that special someone. "Run To You" is an original, and is definitely the best song Pentatonix has ever done. It is completely a cappella, with Kevin, their beatboxer, even contributing vocals. It is, without a doubt, completely and utterly beautiful. There is no other word better to describe it. It has such longing, such raw emotion that bursts through in glorious and heart-melting harmonies. Avi provides epic lows, Mitch and Kirste give incredible highs, and it all comes together to captivate the listener. The best part is the bridge, where the intensity picks up, and Mitch soars even higher and Avi comes up higher than normal, and they're both backed by the others building the majesty with their harmonies. It honestly makes me think of heaven, and just the overwhelming sense it will have. This song is solid gold, and will forever be one of my favorite songs by the group.
Despite their brilliance with "Run To You" and "Natural Disaster", they don't just shine on their originals. "Daft Punk" and "Save The World/Don't You Worry" further reveal their arranging talents, which have gotten even better as they've progressed. "Save The World/Don't You Worry" is a mashup of the two songs by Swedish House Mafia, and show their increased influence from the rising dance and electronic movement. It switches between the two songs, sampling and mixing chorus and verses from both songs to create, in my opinion, a better and more creative song than the originals ever achieved. The upbeat and intense feel of the dance songs works perfectly for them, especially at the very end when they switch into a breakdown that includes some insane wobble sounds that would fill a stadium filled to the brim with fans. "Daft Punk", however, might just eclipse that song. Seamlessly blending together 4 different Daft Punk songs, Pentatonix shines with a dazzling light. From Technologic to One More Time to Get Lucky to Digital Love, Pentatonix brings together all of these songs and shows their talent in an explosive manner. The harmonies, the remix effects, the way they make their voices sound electronic, its incredible. They are each showcased in different sections, but they all come together as one collective group. That is what makes them fantastic, is their ability to let each other shine, but not take over and make it about themselves. This song was a perfect end to the album (discounting "Save The World/Don't You Worry" because it's a bonus track).
I was incredibly impressed with this album. It showed the huge leap in talent and skill that they've had since their last album, and how much potential they have to continue to wow their fans and bring in more. 5/5
Track-list:
Can't Hold Us - 3:18 (5/5)
Natural Disaster - 3:31 (5/5)
Love Again - 3:19 (5/5)*
Valentine - 2:37 (4/5)
Hey Momma/Hit The Road Jack - 3:01 (5/5)
I Need Your Love - 2:52 (4/5)
Run To You - 4:26 (5/5)*
Daft Punk - 4:09 (5/5)*
Save The World/Don't You Worry - 3:48 (5/5)*
(* indicates recommended songs)
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