[Pittsburgh Tracks]

LWE’s editor-in-chief, Steve Mizek, summed it up with absolute sufficiency when he said that adopting a vintage palette isn’t enough; “It behooves producers, then, to look past the building blocks and study the more intricate rhythm patterns in which they were originally used.” It’s this very principle which saves Pittsburgh Track Authority’s fourth record — the second on the trio’s own label — from being a snooze-fest. Though Mizek was specifically talking about imitating Chicago’s archetypal sounds, the sentiment is just as applicable to PGHTRX-002’s jazzy house collabs, which are presented with a fellow Pittsburgher by the name of Nice Rec. Opener “Rotunda” is perhaps best representative of this. Featuring live electric vibraphone over raggedy drums and some synth equivalent of the double bass, it might feel cliché were everything not arranged so damn well. It’s like a sonic lava lamp, with the sounds drifting contently about and mesmerizing as they go.

There’s a similar thing at play on the B-side, where “Get Out Of Your Head” and “Pittsburgh Rich” reside. The former has a train-like cadence, splashing cheerful electric piano and sunburst synths across the spectrum, while in the latter, Roland rims and snares tap out a rigid skeleton for more lithe synths to wave from. From this perspective, however, the more unique “Snap Off” is the most worthwhile cut, purely because it hints at a solidifying of PTA’s own sound, the echoes of which can be heard on the Archipelago EP. Built on a bleary synth pulse and half-time finger snaps, the track’s erratic bass is what makes it really pop. Jerking back and forth like a dancing marionette, it somehow still manages to impart a cool, laid-back vibe. PGHTRX-002  may not be the group’s best work to date, but there’s still plenty to get excited about.