Pit Er Pat Issue #37

High Time (Thrill Jockey)

By Anna Breshears
Published: September 1st, 2008 | 5:05pm

Pit Er Pat’s High Time is a curious, genre-bending amalgamation of indie pop, exotica, folk, and computer buzz seeped in new-age spiritualism. Their anachronistic, psychedelic journey is dark and compelling, if ultimately elusive: As soon as one comes close to getting a handle on this eccentric three-o, they disappear like a desert mirage.

High Time’s spiritual vibe is communicated via chimes, enigmatic background noise and eccentric, Eastern-influenced instrumentation choices (anandolohori, anyone?); the lulling, yet complex rhythms of their songs are meditative and trance-y. Butchy Fuego’s drumming provides a solid yet artful consistency to the intricate play between jazzy guitar lines and meandering melodies.

On “Evacuation Days,” white noise shuffle and programmed sounds set the opening atmosphere and, as the scene unfolds, vocalist-guitarist Fay Davis-Jeffers’ plaintive vocals hint that something ominous is lurking; one can’t shake the feeling they are floating toward the unknown, Apocalypse Now–style. Halfway through High Time, Pit Er Pat hit their stride with “Copper Pennies,” which joins Fuego’s near-falsetto, Rob Doran’s groovy bass, and backing harmonies of “oohs” and “ahhs” into a teeming, sweaty mass of slippery guitar and otherworldly percussion. Toward the end of the record, Pit Er Pat grows increasingly restless and dissonant, ending with epic, glorious confusion of “The Good Morning Song.”

High Time seems a recording of a vision still in flux, but Pit Er Pat’s ongoing evolution is as crucial to their sound as their diverse influences.

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