Blind Pilot: a band that totally snuck up on me. A band that I had never given a lot of thought to until one of my friends played "One Red Thread" for me and asked me to sing it (if you dare brave the tempest...). Since that moment, I have given significantly more thought to the Portland group. I have also given them significantly more listening time. This is a decision that I am quite happy with, for Blind Pilot are truly masterful on their 2008 debut "3 Rounds And A Sound." At this time, Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski constituted the band in its entirety. The two-man acoustic arrangements were tasteful, simple, and honest, and the dynamic was truly ideal for their unique brand of indie-folk/rock.
With this in mind, I was understandably unsure of the chances of inter-album consistency when I heard that their new release We Are The Tide incorporated four additional musicians. Using touring musicians was one thing, but I felt that tripling the size of the band would result in something else altogether. Something less than ideal, I might add.
Oh, how wrong I was.
The opening song on We Are The Tide, "Half Moon," crescendos into prevalence with a fullness that immediately informs the listener that Blind Pilot has evolved. But any worries of over-evolution are promptly put to rest. "Half Moon," like the entire "Tide" album, sounds exactly like, well, Blind Pilot. It’s just Blind Pilot with a fuller sound. A fuller, richer, more mature sound. It’s a sound that grows and evolves even within the confines of the lead-off track, and it comes to a climax at the chorus about a minute into the song. At this instant, there is nothing but passion, energy, and beauty in the world.
And it does not relent. "Half Moon" is undoubtedly my favorite tune on the album, but don’t think for a second that there is a drop-off in quality. Each song carries the torch with dignity, and brings a unique but equally powerful theme and dynamic to the collection. After "Half Moon," the next two songs slow down slightly and fall a little closer to the original simple Blind Pilot sound. The title track, listed fourth out of ten brings back the fullness and energy the album began with, but from a slightly more upbeat direction. It is with this song that I am convinced that Blind Pilot can truly make a masterful album, one which includes ups and downs, rises and falls, agility and languor.
After this, the album definitely slows down a bit. If you read "slow" as "boring," please excuse yourself from the remainder of the discussion. "Just One" and the album’s final track, "New York" are two of the most moving songs I have heard this year. "Just One" has a folky-country twist, employing sweeping slide electric guitars behind the chugging (slow) acoustic strums. But the flawless vocal harmonies steal the show for these four minutes. Pay attention here, because this, kids, is how you arrange a song. "New York" is the ideal culmination to this album. It takes all of the passion and energy, and wrings it out over a chamber of strings. This is, lyrically, the most powerful song of the bunch. A slow-moving, growing, dirge for a broken relationship/quest for personal growth? That’s heavy stuff. This song is like the sonic equivalent of a solitary butterfly breaking out of its cocoon after it’s friends had left it behind (whoo, I sure am good similes).
The album ended. I just restarted it and listened to it again. And then again a few hours later. I’ve probably heard it 4-5 times total by now, and it still isn’t old. These are real songs by real people playing real instruments with real meaning. That’s a sound for sore ears, if you will.
I will leave the review with this: album titles are not always very clear and understandable, and they rarely reflect the musical qualities of the album. But Blind Pilot’s new album flows in currents, it rises and crashes, it opens and closes, and ultimately it pulls you away with it. The music has a vitality that transcends mechanical influence, and I am left without a shred of doubt as to the group’s self-description: they are the tide.
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