Rarely have so many people been suckered in by a single. If you too have been duped by this LA based band's track 'Le Disco' (a palatable Peaches rip off which can be heard regularly on Phantom 105.2's Pure Morning show), you can seek solace in the knowledge that you're not alone. In fact, just yesterday morning the show's presenter was heard bemoaning the lack of 'We Are Pilots' copies available for purchase, leaving him empty handed. Lament not, Sinister one; instead, revel in the knowledge that you've not spent hard earned shekels on an album which is largely stuck in a bubblegum wrapper. I too was lured in by 'Le Disco's sleazy synths, even believing the mid-section of 80s airbrushed pop was tinged with irony. There was further duping on display upon reading articles which compared the four-piece to The Killers, Talk Talk and, most shockingly, "Nine Inch Nails-meets-Depeche Mode". Scooter-meets-Aqua-on-a-night-out-in-Pasha might be more apt. As it turns out, the aforementioned mid-section of 80s airbrushed pop is indicative of the album's remainder. 'Starts With One' could be comparable to Ace-of-Bass-meets-Roxette-on-a-night-out-with-My-Chemical-Romance. 'Waiting' is Phil-Collins-goes-electro (circa 'In The Air Tonight').'When They Came For Us' descends into a simpering ode to Aqua that would befit a schmaltzy Manga cartoon soundtrack, proving that heartfelt songs about death can raise a titter. 'Chemistry of a Car Crash' starts with promise but then sashays down a road to mediocrity. I have no words that would do the uproarious horror that is 'Rocketship' justice. Suffices to say the album panders mostly to prepubescent teens/those who would still consider frequenting an Ibizan foam party. If you need further convincing, look no further than the severely over-produced veneered video they chose to pair with 'Le Disco', which can be viewed at myspace.com/shinytoyguns. It could very well be that the next step in the music industry's obsession with retrogression is, indeed, early-90s-EMO-power-electro-pop-rave (a fact highlighted by the presence of Shiny Toy Guns on the bill of several Club NMEs, not to mention the actual NME Awards on February 28th).Ultimately, 'We Are Pilots' is far too steeped in manufactured cheese to be credible, and the knowledge that this is their third release of the same album frankly only serves to question their credentials further.
