Album Review :
Spacepilot "Grab Your Coats"

Artist: Spacepilot
Album: Grab Your Coats
Label: None (released independently)
Review by: Eric

Forgotten Arrival was one of the bands on the old Indie Vision Music label, and when they broke up after the label ended, Andrew Coughlan and Randy Felten decided to continue making music together, but it was going to be different this time. While Forgotten Arrival was had more of basic alternative/ emo rock feel, their new effort, Spacepilot explores the experimental side of indie rock, but without getting so experimental that they would turn off listeners.

From track one, you realize that the name Spacepilot is very fitting for this band. “For Anyone,” like the rest of the songs on this disc, has a very large sound, with well played fast atmospheric guitar parts that lead you into stars and galaxies not known by other bands in this genre. Your travel through space continues uninterrupted with “Crazy TV Lenny” which is a little more upbeat with a prominent piano blending everything together. “Dwell” is a slower track that starts off with an acoustic strum and, like the rest of the album, is guided by Andrew’s soothing yet emotional vocals. At first I would say he has a deeper voice than what is most often heard in the scene today, but he still hits the high notes well and often. “Lunatic” experiments with some more softly sung vocals as the guitars come and go at will and the drums and bass continue to push your shuttle on to the next constellation. Some slightly Joy Electric styled programming is added to the beginning of “A Thrill Kill,” which actually somehow enhances the eerie feel of this song. After toying with you, bringing you up and down again, the song finally ends on a haunting background noise that fades out. “The Recovery” starts with the sad piano that is heard so much on this disc, but this time without the rest of the band until about a minute into the song. This six minute epic ends with a note of possible hope and Earth in sight, but the seven and a half minute “Half a Man Hide-a-way” instantly draws you back in, not wanting to land for anticipation of what else you might discover in the stars. As your experience comes to an end, the piano and ambient noise take over last time, not quite landing you on the ground again, but at least bringing you back into the atmosphere.

While there are only seven songs, thanks to the length of the last two songs, Grab Your Coats still totals to 33 minutes. And that’s quite long enough for me to be able to say that Spacepilot is a fine little gem waiting to be discovered by the right label. The lyrics are poetic and sometimes hard to decifer, but in this case I say that’s a plus and adds to the overall feel of the band. This is quality mellow music, and even though they have obvious experimental and indie roots placing them in the younger scene, this is still something I could see my 55 year old dad enjoying.

8/10

Purchase the album here, in the Indie Vision Music store.

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