After producing one of the finest electro hardcore cross over albums of the last ten years in the shape of 'Strange We Should Meet Here' it's always going to be tough for Washington 2 piece idiot Pilot to better themselves. It's brilliant to release a debut album filled with such promise and hope for the future but it is going to make the daunting prospect of the second album just that little bit more daunting.

After the underground success of the unquestionable anthem 'A Day In The Life Of A Pool Shark' Idiot Pilot found cult fame and great admiration from fans of electro and punk/hardcore alike. The harrowing harmonic vocals of singer Michael Harris mixed with the earth shattering screams and synth playing of Daniel Anderson were at the time truly groundbreaking. Long before the days of the over commercialized sound of Enter Shikari, it was a completely new idea and one that has yet to be matched as far as quality and production goes.

Featuring Mark Hoppus of +44/Blink 182 fame and At The Drive-In, Glassjaw and Deftones (to name a few) producer Ross Robinson on production duties ‘Wolves’ looks on paper to be one hell of a second album. Unfortunately it’s not quite as amazing as one might think.

‘Wolves’ is by no means a step back for Idiot Pilot but merely a step to one side. If this had been their debut album all over again it would have been truly groundbreaking but as the promise of a far more progressive and experimental sound was made for album number 2, it is a little disappointing.
The opening few tracks are the truest beauties on ‘Wolves’. The atmospheric yet destructive ‘Elephant’ has an infectious hook that will be rattling round your head for a good while and the sleazily seductive ‘In Record Shape’ is just tailor made for dance floors from New York to Newport.

As the album progresses things do begin to become ever so slightly tiresome and where ‘SWSMH’ led each track gracefully into the next whilst not following a specific structure ‘Wolves’ can at times find itself meandering a little. ‘Red Museum’ is a fine example of when things just don’t sound like they’re working, having followed on from ‘Cruel World Enterprise’ which follows a similar template it’s the point in the album where interest begins to sway.

Closing track ‘Recurring Dream’ is by far the most self-indulgent offering on ‘Wolves’. I could go on and on about it’s lack of ambient feel, but I’d rather just say what it is, boring.

The term ‘difficult second album’ has never really rung truer than in the case of ‘Wolves’. It could have been great and it could have been terrible, but instead it’s just somewhere in the middle which ultimately doesn’t really do much for anyone. Definitely worth a listen but I wouldn’t go rushing out to buy it.



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Idiot Pilot