Facts About Pentatonix

PTX VL.II

The album is a healthy mix of covers and self-written music. ‘Can’t Hold Us’ by Macklemore is both a cover and the first track; effectively showcasing everything the group does well – fast-paced beats, rap, harmony, the works. Another cover, ‘Save the World/Don’t You Worry Child’ bookends the collection nicely, the group clearly undaunted by the prospect of recreating club music beats (done expertly by Kevin Olusola – seriously, sometimes it’s impossible to tell him apart from an actual drum machine). It’s obvious listening to the whole album that Pentatonix are a group of very talented musicians who don’t just sing well, but also have an amazing grasp of harmony and arrangement. Which leads me to arguably the best track of the album, simply named Daft Punk.  You may know of this medley, as it’s been circling the internet, and at the time of writing has amassed over ten million views on Youtube. The quality of the harmonies and recording carry all the hallmarks of a band with a multi-million record label backing them. Every member adds layers of depth to the track, that will result in you listening to the track on repeat over and over, just to listen closely to each part to work out what they’re doing with their voice. The Daft Punk tracks are moulded together cleanly and professionally, and goes to show that the quality of Youtube-born musicians has been sky-rocketing over the last few years.

But Pentatonix are not just a cover band. Many of the original music of the album are highlights just as much as the covers. ‘Hey Momma/Hit The Road Jack’, is an interesting fusion of old and new, being a mash-up of the group’s own words and the classic song ‘Hit The Road Jack’ as the chorus. ‘Run to You’ also stands out – being in the middle of the album, giving a breather from the pumping bass and rap. Acapella in its purest form, there is nothing but harmony in the song; a sombre and somewhat chilling track that will give you shivers.

Mark my words, Pentatonix are going the same way as many Youtube stars before them. This is only the beginning. They encapsulate everything I love about acapella."

- From http://ryansmusicthoughts.blogspot.sg

"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.