Pilotlight "Four Storey Landscapes" CD
[Outreach]
Not bad at all. This is some pretty catchy emo/indie rock from Pennsylvania with straightforward singing, plenty of vocal harmonies, and a style that mixes the somber with the upbeat without leaning too far in either direction. They've got a well distorted guitar sound that's a little heavy, but not too much, so they maintain a rockin' sort of edge with a nice sense of energy, and they mix it up with clean passages and melodic octave chords and such. Admittedly they're not a very original band, but I don't care because I like their songwriting a lot, and they've got an edge over a lot of similar bands just because they're not cheesy or poppy or anything. And tracks like "Beacon" that mix up the dynamics a lot as far as tempo shifts and layering clean guitars with distorted guitars really work out nicely. The recording is alright, but I think a fuller and more polished sound would really do them very well. They're on the right track, as the drums sound natural, the bass tone is great, and the mix is decent. But I think the guitars need some cleaning up, and a fuller tonal range on the vocals would be excellent, because the singing is great for this style of music. Visually things are pretty simple, using blocky, clean text over photos of a city (a parking deck, apartment buildings, etc.), and the lyrics are rather strange and abstract at times (though in other cases it's your general personal stuff). "A broken cheek tells the story of a Lexington Way. Mangled legs under bicycle tires pave the cul-de-sac. The pepper gummed neighbor kids have fouled and bloody little mouths..." Good stuff. I'll be curious to hear more from this band in the future, because I imagine they'll continue to improve, and that could mean good things for sure... (6/10)
Running time - 16:49, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Beacon, August 4th]
Outreach Records - http://www.outreachrecords.net

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