Track one is, "Cloud Covered Figure 8," and it starts off with some very mellow, but catchy, guitar and drums in the back. Then the vocals enter. This is the kind of song you can sit back and relax too. But then the pace picks up and it gets a little heavier, but it is still mellow enough to relax too. Track two, "Belong," is one of the heavier songs on the album. Thick guitar, and moaning vocals which give it a heavier feel. Also the drums are hard at work pounding in the background, and the bass is doing it's job too. Track three is another heavy song. Track four, "Asunder Various," is another mellow song. It starts off with catchy guitar, and the drums are soft in the back, keeping the beat. The bass is there too, but it isn't overpowering everything like some modern day bands feel the need to do. Another nice relaxing song. I feel Pilot is best when they are relaxing. Track five, "Distant Sun," was performed all by Patrick Gundran. A mellow pop-rock song, but yet it sounds like it was recorded on an eight track. The vocals are fuzzy, and the track isn't very appealing. I say, stick with the rest of the band! Four tracks pass before we come to the title track. Once again, the starting is very catchy guitar, and it is a very mellow song. My personal favorite on the album. Pilot knows what they do best, and that is soft pop-rock. The song starts with a guy singing with his electric guitar and then the rest of the band enters to add melody and keep the beat. This track is definitely single potential. Another four tracks pass before we come to, "Be," the final track on this CD. The intro is "thinking music." The kind of music that happens during bad times in a movie. The kind of music that makes you sit back and feel the pain the person is going through. And when the vocals enter you really get the feeling that this song would be perfect for a movie when a kid is crying on his bed, because his dad just died. This is probably my second favorite song on the album. Acoustic songs touch me, and I love them. This song definitely was the perfect ending for the album.

This album is good when Pilot does what they do best, mellow songs that make you relax and think. I would give this CD an A-. It is very good in some parts, but in some parts Pilot wants to try and fit into the rocking Northwest Clich, and when that happens, they fail. But when they sit down and become mellow, they are very talented!

Pilot To Gunner: Games At High Speeds

Pin-Ups, The: Backseat Memoirs

[Issue One // July-August 1997]