Pilot To Gunner

Looking for salvation? As the title of the sophomore release from Brooklyn's PTG suggests, you don't have to look any further than this disc. Having established themselves as a band to pay close attention to with their debut EP and 2001's Games at High Speeds full-length, the quartet has taken the opportunity of studio time with producer J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines) to hone their sound. While their earlier releases were spastic, mildly dissonant and occasionally chaotic specimens of angular post-punk math rock —think Gang of Four meets Sonic Youth with a touch of Fugazi thrown in — Get Saved refines the sound. Still present is the band's distinctive weird artiness and commitment to playing music that is not conventional, but new to the band's sound is an increased awareness of the benefits of melody and simplicity. The lyrical musings of Scot Padden are as cryptic as ever, but the musical component has certainly been simplified without sacrificing originality. Robbins may have had something to do with that, but his more significant contribution is capturing the band's sonic essence. Between the band's new sound and the sonic wallop that Robbins captures, this disc is one that is virtually impossible to ignore. Rock music's saviours are among us.