Silence Magazine - April 2005
Title: APRIL ALBUM OF THE MONTH 2005

APRIL ALBUM OF THE MONTH 2005

Anytime a person tells you they’re from Texarkana, you immediately ask, which side? Texas or Arkansas? No offense to Arkansas, but Pilotdrift is simply too big to not be from Texas. In fact, their sound will even soon outgrow their lone star state. I first took notice through my weekly newsletters from the Rubberman at Good Records, in the fact that, every week this, Pilotdrift, was outselling everything else on the Good Records shelf. They were number one for twelve weeks (three months) and in the top ten for sixteen weeks and still counting! Who is this band? That’s what kept spilling from my lips.

When I finally got my hands on the album, Pilotdrift seemed to be two different bands in one nicely packaged release. You see, Pilotdrift is one band in the anathematic, Kelly Carr when he leads the way, and the other, Micah Dorsey’s whispery, intellectual fables. In one sitting the two would be found as separate identities. And if I wanted to get really technical, I could always mention their instrumental counterpart that swiftly ties this trio of identities together. This band also proudly wears their influences the way MC Hammer wore his parachute pants, but none-the-less, at least they have some favorable kindred spirits.

However many official members there are in the band [five in their booklet photo / six or more at live shows] this record was made up of many complementary parts. Opening track “Caught In My Trap,” projects a David Bowie-esq vibe, and starts out as quite a frightful tune. Somehow we get thrown way off track during the middle of the song and find Kelly screaming like a cannibalistic Thom Yorke, “I eat humans, I’ll eat your heart out.” Granted this song sounds like a less aggressive “2+2=5” but by all means sets the tone for the “good” kind of uncertainty.

“Elephant Island[‘s]” accordion lead in, accounts for the bands most accessible single. Clocking in at about five minutes and fifty seconds it would most likely have to be shortened, but this sailor sing-along has many catchy elements to it. 1,2,3,1,2,23, “We drank up the wine trying to pass up the time. We raise up our glass for today is our last!” A slight sway begins in the listeners step when were interrupted and introduced to Pilotdrift’s “power Muse” side as they burst into the chorus of, “Hey, Hey, Hey’s,” and more sea bearing lingo, now Micah you can cue the circus music, all join in once again, “WE DRANK UP THE WINE…” wonderful.

My personal favorite, properly titled, “Winter” pulls that spirit of snow and holidays with the sleigh bell routine. This song, for me, hits at the topic of temptation, but I prefer just to relax to the sounds of, “Winter” by an open fire roasting chestnuts, and my one true love of course. This song resonates an eerie shadow over the mystery of what next winter has in store for all of us. Most likely for Pilotdrift it’s a major label offer and all the temptation they can ask for. Brace yourself; the snow has just started falling.

After two sedatives Pilotdrift uses a sitar to set up the most orchestrated track, “Rings Of Symbols.” This epic seven-minute plus-er, is a nice song, but I find myself wanting to listen to this song less than all the others. It’s just not interesting enough during those seven minutes to keep my attention. But Pilotdrift obviously thought out the track listing, as it shows right after the marathon, “The Meaningless Words Of Bobby Baker” allows us to recover.

Metronome beginner “Dancing Bear” is a lovely track that assumes the position of a Granddaddy or Sparklehorse composure. Unfortunately this track never quite takes off, rather it stays two dimensional and as you wait for that explosion that never comes the influence train moves on; and I swear I was listening to a song off Air’s, Walkie Talkie, during “Science and Enlightenment.” That was until Pilotdrift switched into a 60’s retro Beach Boys outfit mid-song, quirky and a wonderful unsuspected finish to another standout song.

My other favorite [besides “Winter”] is Kelly driven “The Undiscovered Epic of Walter Champion.” This neo western epic begins with a nice groove and is kind of a signature to Pilotdrift’s Iter Facere. Lyrically, Walter Champion deals with a tortured school aged kid, most likely exposing concern for the many school shootings in the last ten years. Stunned as we all were during those times, Pilotdrift makes a time change, and “in s l o w m o t i o n” they end the tale with that line repeated over and over for three minutes.

So many anthem driven songs, many intimate ambient songs, yet only the “So Long” song could have appropriately ended this masterful work. The grand finale hints at Pilotdrift’s convictions of being a part of Christ’s body, and the day that will come when we’ll all meet again in Heaven. This grand finale is great, but I sure hope to see a few more albums from Pilotdrift before they say, “So Long.”

Iter Facere, means to make a journey. This unsigned [for some ungodly reason] act has just opened its eyes. The entire globe left to travel, and it’s completely lush filled with promise. I will be very pissed off if not by next year this band’s not gracing the lips of every music enthusiasts on the streets. Iter Facere, the near sixty-three minute debut was completely recorded before Pilotdrift set foot on stage, and as anyone in the media to cross paths with this band will say, it has more than paid off, and I’m still counting their dividends.

-Dustin Reid (April 22, 2005)