Idiot Pilot – Wolves
Reprise Records (02/12/08)
Rock / Alternative / Experimental
Idiot Pilot follows in the steps of bands willing to put together musical landscapes and experiences instead of just making songs (think mid-career Radiohead, Postal Service or certain elements of Sparta). It’s great for fans who love albums instead of singles. But Idiot Pilot seems to be able to take the foundation of such an approach and still put together killer stand-alone tracks at the same time (like the rocking opener “Last Chance”).
The band bends this alternative-rock approach around synthesizers and ambient (electronic) noise and programming. The vocals are reminiscent of the above-mentioned acts with a couple of screams thrown in for good measure here and there. That pretty much sums up every song on Wolves. The band switches everything up more than enough that the approach never becomes predictable or boring.
The entire album pulls elements from notable acts like Sunny Day Real Estate, The Cure, Deftones, Sparta and numerous others, yet manages to find its own place among the mix. Take a song like “Good Luck”, which one minute can have this machine-gunning attack of drums give way to rudimentary electronic beats, which in turn gives way to a soaring melody.
Upon first listen, I wanted to hate this album. I wanted to write a review that basically said “been there, done that.” But with each listen a new layer gets peeled away. Sure, there’s some forgettable moments sprinkled in there (especially in a couple of the later songs), but taken as a whole this is a pretty good album that creates an enjoyable atmosphere and manages to cover a broad range of spectrums without getting caught up in itself.
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