Search - Idiot Pilot :: Strange We Should Meet Here (Mcup)

Simply put......astonishing...

Jimmy | Edmonton, Alberta | 05/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first heard any of the songs off of this albulm, it was live at the Taste of Chaos tour. Me and several of my counterparts we're left jaws dropped and expecting to need a new pair of pants.It's easy to enjoy a band live when you know the songs, but very little do you find a musical group that can blow your mind at first chance live. Especially when they only can play 5 songs and are part of alimited acoustic set used to provide transitions between the bigger bands. As me and my friends agree, they we're by far the best act of the night and to our everlasting shame we never got a shirt. Luckily the band stated their name proudly...."Idiot Pilot" and that until their albulm release in May you could find their songs on their website. Of course the very next morning it was the immediate impulse to listen to every single last one of these songs. At first one looks for the songs he/she recognizes from the concert, then moves on to the even less familiar songs. You love the ones you heard before and are intrigued by the ones you haven't. The boldness of the albulm is cultivating. Songs like 'The Violent Tango' with the raw screaming and often....un-conventional-music like sounds are interesting. And at first one is set off by the boldness....but it is this extreme displacement of sound that makes this band so amazing. The music is melodic yet powerful. Streamlined by techno-ish keyboards and soaring vocals, and made raw and gritty by guitar and throat ripping screams. Interestingly enough it's not poorly thrown together. 'Spark Plug' is one of the most intense songs I've ever heard, yet it still has melodic factors. 'To buy a gun' is now a favorite among those I am associated with. 'A day in the life of a poolshark' is catchy as hell, but it has enough quality that you don't mind when it gets stuck in your head for hours at a time. To say the least, this albulm is sheer genius on both sides of the creative mind-pool. A team truly destined for the musci industry. And their homemade music videos only boost the incredibility of the albulm. I recommend this albulm to an open-minded and patient audience who will carefully listen to the songs and not just pass it up at first glance. For within lies talent found by few other mainstream bands out there. And if you get a chance.....SEE THEM LIVE.....IT'S AMAZING!"

Beautiful and interesting

R. asher | Los Angeles, CA | 10/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Idiot Pilot's deput LP, Strange We Should Meet Here, takes a bunch of musical genres that are usually entirely separate and fuses them into a moving, interesting sound. Predictablly, those who dislike screaming may not enjoy Idiot Pilot- yes, there are some backround screaming vocals, but they only enhance the music, not degrade it. (of course, if you cannot tolerate screaming in general you won't enjoy all the songs on this album.) One of the great things about Idiot Pilot is the way they weave the vocals, which is very refreshing. The singer does sound like Thom Yorke- but who doesn't these days? They mix post-hardcore with electronica and alternative and create something that sounds unique. And there is little unique music out there right now.

Tracks Open Register, To Buy A Gun, Strange We Should Meet Here, and A Light At the End of the Tunnel are my favorites."

Why?

Aaron Matteson | Seattle, WA | 08/22/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"
This type of music makes me really angry at the people who made it, because it could've been really really great.



I completely agree with a previous reviewer here: this is almost a really superb record. The compositional skill is amazing, the eclectic instrumentation is inspired, and when he's singing the frontman sounds like another Thom Yorke.



When he's singing. The problem is, a little ways into every song he starts yelling.



If this was a hardcore album this would be just fine. I don't like hardcore at all, personally, but far be it from me to diss a hardcore album just because I don't see the value in that type of music.



The thing is: Idiot Pilot's Strange We Should Meet Here doesn't play like a hardcore album. Most tracks start out with electronica or fine-tuned instrumentation that sounds like pure indie. The harmonies are great and mellow, and the melody lines are great. Every track I hear starts out amazingly. "A Day In The Life Of A Poolshark" and the title track are examples. Great lyrics, great singing, great mood. These are wonderful songs -- until he starts screaming for no reason.



It's like getting a great indie album from a friend, but then realizing halfway through each song that your friend is going to start screaming over the music.



Let me put it this way: if these guys edited out the screeching present in almost every otherwise amazing songs, this record would be five-star.



As it is, this is two-and-a-half at best. I hope future albums exclude the stupid genre-mixing, because it ruins a really astonishing band's talent almost totally."