First posted on Mark Is Cranky:
Reviewers like to use the term "derivative" when, after listening to a new band, they're left with that not so fresh feeling. But what to think about a band that proudly wears their influences right out in the open? Cynical marketing ploy? Bold career move? Maybe the guys in Idiot Pilot had no say with regard to the sticker plastered on the front of Strange We Should Meet Here, with the blurbs namechecking Radiohead, the Deftones and "blurpy techno."
It turns out that this band (a duo really: Michael Harris on vocals, Daniel Anderson on just about everything else) manages to glue together their influences in such a unique way as to, in the end, sound nothing like them at all.
Take for example the opening track "Losing Color." Creepy electronic figures (think Nine Inch Nails) lead into the long and drawn out melody of the lead vocal ... which drops away (or maybe it was pushed) to reveal huge, distorted guitar chord swells which give way to cleaner variations of those same chords...before returning to the voice. Not your typical pop/rock song here (and maybe another area of commonality with Radiohead but, hey, it's not like they invented odd song structures).
So, after that first song, I was pretty sure that the "D-word" was to be queued up by a reviewer out there somewhere. But...
"A Day In The Life Of A Pool Shark" begins with a "happy" synth go-round that wouldn't be out of place on a Human League or even a Devo record. It's a left turn from the moodiness of the first song. The bridge heads even further out with a combination of skewed, dissonant chords and some throat-grinding (think The Used) screams. That explosion pushes the momentum of the final chorus (or is it a verse?). At this point I'm beginning to wonder where this band's musical center of gravity is located.
"Open Register" starts out in a very pop-oriented manner with its strummed acoustic guitars but then punctuates the opening of each chorus with unnerving screams of "We're trying to help you!!" Y'know, I'm almost never a fan of the giant uvula flap, but the way these outbursts just, well, show up, really puts a new spin on the use of dynamics.
"The Violent Tango" (love that title) illustrates how Idiot Pilot seems to love dealing in multiple textures. Morse code-like opening percussion is followed by some artificial harmonics floated over an almost jazzy kick drum and rimshot pattern. Two guitars interlock before the spacey vocal line takes over. The chorus blows all of this up with exhilarating power chords, an ear canal-disturbing shard of feedback and some more Drano vocals.
After a while, I decided that the search for this group's center of gravity was a waste of time. The usage of metal fragments, progressive structures, ethereal vocals, violent screams, techno (yes, it was "blurpy"), Brian Wilson-ish harmonies and even a a touch of hip-hop (I won't say where, but it was definitely a "What the...?!" kinda thing)...well, it kept me off balance. After so many years of mainstream conformity, it's nice to hear somebody take a few chances.
Article comments
1 - Douglas Mays
WOW! These kids got a deal pretty quick. High-schoolers from Bellingham, WA (90 miles north of Seattle, 50 miles south of Vancouver BC) to major label release. It happens pretty fast sometimes.
I never had a chance to get my ass out and see them in a club around here. They didn't even get to do that much.
I never have heard the record, but I would imagine your review is quite accurate, from what I have heard about them.
2 - Temple Stark
Mark,
This post has been digitally replicated over at Advance.net, a place affiliated with about 10 newspapers around the country.
One such site is here.
Also please let your contact know, if you had one, that this article, is published at one more place. That helps to show they get two?, three? for the "price" of one.
Thank you.
Temple Stark