Idiot Pilot Wolves
Genre: Rock
Stand Out Tracks: Elephant, Retina and the Sky, Red Museum
Record Label: Reprise Records
By JustinM

Back in 1998, 12-year-olds Michael Harris and Daniel Anderson teamed up in Bellingham, Washington for what would eventually become the foundation of Idiot Pilot.Nine years later the pair of musicians have meshed into a vicious combo of techno-sonic rockers that screams release me.Enter Wolves.

Soon after self-producing and ultimately releasing Strange We Should Meet Here in 2005, the duo teamed with Reprise Records and began touring with Team Sleep.Although successful as a pair, the 2007 release of Wolves went deeper than just adding clips behind an at-home computer as Idiot Pilot collaborated with Glassjaw’s Ross Robinson and +44’s bassist Mark Hoppus.Along with the production assistance on the album, Travis Parker (“Elephant”) and Dillinger Escape Plan’s Chris Pennie (remaining tracks) worked the drums.Combining these elements with two perfection-bent 21-year olds has seemingly landed Idiot Pilot in an exciting electric rock genre.

With a sound ranging from Hawthorne Heights’ screamo style to that of a punk pop concert, Idiot Pilot has also established a unique studio enhanced quality far from any easy comparisons.A generated centipede-tapping sound commonly accompanies many of Wolves’ tracks, such as “Retina and the Sky” and “Red Museum”, which helps Idiot Pilot assimilate this sound solely to them.Besides this generated sound, many other computer-enhanced plug-ins deliver a unique feel for “Wolves”.

Idiot Pilot didn’t stick with one sound throughout the album though, as the difference from their pop rock foundation (“Recurring Dream”) to harder hitting rock with speedy drums (“Elephant”) greatly differs.In Strange We Should Meet Here the Anderson and Harris were a two-person production.The sound was also that of just two people.The additions of Robinson, Hoppus, Parker and Pennie on Wolves clearly shows the diversity and change the group has undergone.

Vocals: 8.0 Album flow: 7.3 Sound: 7.2 Overall Album: 6.9 Reviewer’s Tilt: 6.3

A change in the production process ultimately aided in the completion of this album but the vocals really tied everything together.Without the varied vocal techniques, such as ballads (“Theme from the Pit”) and expulsionary vocals (“Planted in the Dark”), the album would fall closer to El Ten Eleven than Hawthorne Heights.Not many groups can claim to have both a harmonic and guttural singer.

Overall, I found it hard to review this album.Wolves and Idiot Pilot brought a whole new sound I had avoided for years with the screaming and the almost incessant tinkering with beats.What made me review this?“Last Chance” to open the album up hooked me.Although it wasn’t the best track on the album (to me it was “Red Museum”), it progressed quickly into a true song, not just an intro track like most albums do, by using a consistent refrain and clear audible lyrics throughout.The eventual drawback from the album was that many tracks had too many similarities, such as the tempo and the plug-ins.Looking past these flaws and at Idiot Pilot as a group, they have started in the right direction by thinking outside their two-man tandem for the most part.Once I made it past a few tracks and before any scream singing, I was committed to album.Since then I have heard this album over 25 times with no regret for picking it up.