Pentatonix - more than 5 nuances of harmonics ! (album review)
Pentatonix released their 1st original album last week, named "Pentatonix".
I'm a fan of this 5-people group since I discovered them on Youtube through Lindsey Sterling and their collaboration on the cover of "Radioactive". I've spent entire days listening to their various covers and their performances in the A Capella showdown program Sing-Off (thank you for making me go through some pretty horrid days at work last year!).
I was so into them that I went to my 1st live performance to see them!
They made a Christmas album that ranked well in sales and won a Grammy award, so they went a long way from their debuts in a tv program!
However, they were mainly famous for their re-arranged covers and their "Evolutions of..." (basically, they go through various songs of the same artist in one go in a chronological order), and this album is their 1st original one!
They had released 2 of the tracks and I was taken aback with the 1st, "Can't Sleep Well", which had a very retro feeling to me, quite far from the modern and electronic sound I was used to before. However, the fact that it sounded so strange to me actually made it stick even more in my head ^^;; Then they released the MV of "Sing" (I thought it was the 2nd "preview" of their album, but in fact I had missed the release day -___- ). This one caught me immediatly as it is an anthem, a call for release through singing full a powerful glory!
So I went to buy it shortly after that, listening to it on the afternoon at work, hoping for it to lessen the bad ambiance at work to me... But that was a bad idea, because the bad ambiance actually ruined this 1st (and following) listening for me. I could appreciate it fully a couple days later and I evidently fell in love with it ♥
Apart from "Sing" that I had loved from before I bought the album, the 1st track that caught me was "Water", the only one with Kirstin solo-ing. The 1st notes immediately caught my attention and the enchanting and almost otherworldly sound just finished me off! It was the same love-at-first-sight I had with Smash tv series song "Reach for me" ^^ (which is my reference in falling for a song immediately and durably).
I also love "Rose Gold". Its sound came through during my days trying to listen to the album at work, because I find its melody "easier" than Water, but it's beautiful nonetheless.
"New Year's Day" was also a song that I discovered when I could give my entire attention to the album. Like "Sing", it's a kind of anthem, but more on the joyous side than glorious side. I like its levity in the lyrics and the feeling of new beginnings.
As light and joyous songs, I love "Na Na Na" and "Misbehaving". I appreciated the qualities of NNN quickly as it's the 1st track of the album, and it gives a very positive lighting on the album. I needed more time for "Misbehaving", because even though I liked it at first, it took a couple a times for it to get stuck in my head.
"Take me Home" and "Light in the Hallway" are very sweet songs that one can fully appreciate in a quiet room and resting. They're beautiful but lack the power of the previous tracks to really pull you out of what you're doing to listen and enjoy. They're really peaceful and restful songs.
"Ref", "1st things 1st" and "Cracked" are more their usual sound, modern and electronic-like (I say "like" because they're still an A Capella group!). I like them but I'm not as carried away than with the others. I move my body to their rhythm too though (even at my desk at work ;) )
I'm a fan of this 5-people group since I discovered them on Youtube through Lindsey Sterling and their collaboration on the cover of "Radioactive". I've spent entire days listening to their various covers and their performances in the A Capella showdown program Sing-Off (thank you for making me go through some pretty horrid days at work last year!).
I was so into them that I went to my 1st live performance to see them!
They made a Christmas album that ranked well in sales and won a Grammy award, so they went a long way from their debuts in a tv program!
However, they were mainly famous for their re-arranged covers and their "Evolutions of..." (basically, they go through various songs of the same artist in one go in a chronological order), and this album is their 1st original one!
They had released 2 of the tracks and I was taken aback with the 1st, "Can't Sleep Well", which had a very retro feeling to me, quite far from the modern and electronic sound I was used to before. However, the fact that it sounded so strange to me actually made it stick even more in my head ^^;; Then they released the MV of "Sing" (I thought it was the 2nd "preview" of their album, but in fact I had missed the release day -___- ). This one caught me immediatly as it is an anthem, a call for release through singing full a powerful glory!
So I went to buy it shortly after that, listening to it on the afternoon at work, hoping for it to lessen the bad ambiance at work to me... But that was a bad idea, because the bad ambiance actually ruined this 1st (and following) listening for me. I could appreciate it fully a couple days later and I evidently fell in love with it ♥
Apart from "Sing" that I had loved from before I bought the album, the 1st track that caught me was "Water", the only one with Kirstin solo-ing. The 1st notes immediately caught my attention and the enchanting and almost otherworldly sound just finished me off! It was the same love-at-first-sight I had with Smash tv series song "Reach for me" ^^ (which is my reference in falling for a song immediately and durably).
I also love "Rose Gold". Its sound came through during my days trying to listen to the album at work, because I find its melody "easier" than Water, but it's beautiful nonetheless.
"New Year's Day" was also a song that I discovered when I could give my entire attention to the album. Like "Sing", it's a kind of anthem, but more on the joyous side than glorious side. I like its levity in the lyrics and the feeling of new beginnings.
As light and joyous songs, I love "Na Na Na" and "Misbehaving". I appreciated the qualities of NNN quickly as it's the 1st track of the album, and it gives a very positive lighting on the album. I needed more time for "Misbehaving", because even though I liked it at first, it took a couple a times for it to get stuck in my head.
"Take me Home" and "Light in the Hallway" are very sweet songs that one can fully appreciate in a quiet room and resting. They're beautiful but lack the power of the previous tracks to really pull you out of what you're doing to listen and enjoy. They're really peaceful and restful songs.
"Ref", "1st things 1st" and "Cracked" are more their usual sound, modern and electronic-like (I say "like" because they're still an A Capella group!). I like them but I'm not as carried away than with the others. I move my body to their rhythm too though (even at my desk at work ;) )