Seaweed + Fugazi + Quicksand + Superchunk = Pilot to Gunner. Hey, this ain’t mathematics; no equation is perfect, but I’ll be damned if PtG aren’t channelling shards of four of my absolute favorite bands from the ’90s.
Vetiver
Folk is well on its way to becoming the sound du jour thanks to the likes of Andy Cabic and the group of friends and neighbors he enlists (Devendra Banhart, Hope Sandoval, Joanna Newsome, and Colm O’Ciosoig) in crafting a collection of acoustic gems lined with daydream edges. An extravagantly simple melody that you can really sink your ears into.
The High Dials
Each of these harmony-drenched psychedelic pop romps tells a chapter in the story of a fictional character named Silas. Does that make it sound any sweeter? Not really, but it’ll give you something to talk about as you play this for friends.
Mirah
While Liz Phair’s spent the new century embedded in VH1’s Culture Vultureplex, Mirah’s been embedded in evergreen indieland (that’s Olympia, Washington) making sweet and musically adventurous paeans to relationships, politics, and many of the other things that make us think about more than our cholesterol. “Jerusalem” is the only new track here, but it’s worth downloading the others to see how easy it is to fall in love with a singer whose mind is as irresistible as her disarmingly delicate voice.
Juana Molina
In Latino circles, this same Juana Molina is best known as the star of “Juana y Sus Hermanas,” an Argentinian sketch comedy TV series. In my circle, she’s famous for delicate, undulating serenades that are both timely and timeless. Talk about range…
The Autumns
Soaring vocals, soaring guitars, soaring pop.
Mantler
Some songs inspire me to write music. Mantler’s like that. Simple melodies I can get my head around. I imagine myself sitting down at the piano and fiddling around with a few keys until a riff comes to life. If only I could pull myself away from this QWERTY keyboard for two minutes…and I’d have to find a drummer (ain’t got a lick of rhythm).
The Dying Californian
The Dying Californian’s frayed alt-country ballads pack such subtly heartbreaking lyrics, you may find yourself hitting rewind the same way you used to with R.E.M.’s Murmur. Exhibit A, from “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”: “If you tell me you love me/It would be a bad thing/My heart would start wondering/About the songs it could sing.”
Daedelus
Cacophonic intro track to Daedelus’ hip-hop record, Rethinking the Weather, layers a psychotic amount of voices over noodles of acoustic guitar, clattered beats, and flute loops. It’s but a small, imperfect glimpse into Daedelus’ expanding, eclectic universe.
Headset
Allen Avanessian (Plug Research) and Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel, Postal Service, Figurine) hit the lab with a hard drive full of devolved beats and glitch-and-paste collages, then invite a who’s who of electronic and hip-hop innovators to muse over the sparse foundation. The result ranges from head-nodding to chin-stroking; this track, featuring verbal gymnast Subtitle flowing over what sounds like a dying music box, exemplifies the latter.