O Soundtrack My Heart

O Soundtrack My Heart is the first international release from Australian electro noise mongers Pivot since being snapped up by Warp earlier this year (apparently after a very enthusiastic offer of a sixteen-album deal), and for the most part, it does their talents justice.

The threesome have a very unique sound and one which should hopefully bring them to a wider audience. Their guitar and synth-like textures create a wonderful imagery in the mind, one of far-off galaxies and bright city lights. This combination coupled with some great beats and strange bleeps and you have a record worthy of your attention.

Opener 'October' is a sombre, moody two minutes that sets up a misleading feel to the record as it leads into the more upbeat experimental second track, ‘In the Blood’, which itself sets a high standard for the rest of the album. Surprisingly this standard is surpassed by the album’s title track along with ‘Love Like I’ and ‘Epsilon’. Catchy, fresh and with all instruments battling for supremacy, (in which synth always seems to triumph) these three standouts keep your ears eager for more.

Don't get me wrong there are some dull, wobbly points where it may mistakenly feel like you’re listening to a Mario Kart soundtrack, but then there always seems to be a next track capable of total recovery to reel the listener back in. By the time penultimate track ‘Nothing Comes Around’ arrives, this listener is truly captivated.

Closing track ‘My Heart Like Marching Band’ is again a sombre affair but one which nicely wraps up an album that was a very pleasant surprise and begs the question of whether maybe Warp should start thinking about that seventeenth album.