Varied electro and melodious vocals
Combining the dark menace of rock with the twitching, sparseness of electronic, IdiotPilot have created an album that will either elate or deflate fans of either genre.
The Washington duo is of a scarily young age but 'Strange We Should Meet Here' finds them continuing their mechanical meanderings and workouts.
At times the vocals are more like an additional instrument, relying on the sounds and rhythms that this brings, as opposed to utilising any great lyrical use, the album shifts slowly into gear with 'Losing Color', a bleak, glitch opening that may set the listener into a specific frame of mind.
However, the track that follows, 'A Day In The Life Of A Poolshark' comes as a surprise, opening with a cheery rinky dink Casio riff. The vocals veer between Muse and Depeche Mode such is their grandness and ambition and a chorus where the fuzz and feedback kicks in and drives the track to a higher level.
A lot of the backing vocals are shouted yet muted in the production, in a heavy metal manner which helps bring to mind the feel of Nine Inch Nails more tempered early work. This could be of interest for fans of the band who have become disillusioned with the current, more punishing output of the electronic mainstays.
With acoustic guitars, up beat floor stompers and varied vocal performances peppering the record it's obvious that although the programmed beats underpin the record, on top there is a large amount of talent and diversity. Thankfully, the beats and rhythms hold the songs together well and the album works well as a continuous piece.
The middle of the record features a dip in tempo and volume after the initial flurry and may wander too much for some listeners to retain focus. That is not to say the quality fails, as tracks like 'NightLife' bristle away and still remain challenging but the element of the novelty and surprise that the first songs had has vanished and the twitchy fills now appear constraining when previously they were liberating.
As the record continues, other influences such as latter day Radiohead and hip-hop fills come to the fore and this variety prevents the album from becoming bogged down in repetitiveness.
'To Buy A Gun' and 'Arrythmia' drive the record onto a rousing finish and the first thought is to put the album back to the start to take it all in again.
As a complete piece of work, it's a strange record that works well but the variety and changes contained within may make it too difficult a listen for some.