Wolves in Bloomington, MN

Idiot Pilot
's sophomore album tones down the hardcore tendencies that were crammed into every nook and cranny of 2004's
Strange We Should Meet Here
, focusing instead on a mix of
Radiohead
-influenced melodies and computerized ambience. Countless bands in the early 21st century have mimicked the epic sounds of
, and
can't rival
Muse
's guitar muscle or
Pilot Speed
's vocal power. But for a two-person band, they still pack quite a punch, with an ear for programmed glitches and bleeps that put the "computer" back into
OK Computer
.
Michael Harris
takes his melodies to unexpected places, often leaping into his falsetto range, while
Daniel Anderson
engineers a
Postal Service
-gone-haywire mix of guitars and keyboards beneath him. The duo is given an extra hand from two visiting drummers,
Travis Barker
and
Coheed and Cambria
's
Chris Pennie
, both of whom have the dexterity and precision to rival the percussive sounds of
Anderson
's laptop. Where
falter, then, is
Harris
' inability to fully ditch the guttural screams that plagued the group's last album. The hardcore vocals simply sound juvenile, almost as if they're the product of a younger, bitter screamo band.
"Planted in the Dark"
is the worst offender, with
"Red Museum"
running a close second; both tracks would otherwise be album highlights, but
' throat-shedding shrieks plunge them into the angsty world of headbanging and tortured lyrics. That's not always a bad place, to be sure, but it's just not the right home for
, a band capable of crafting something as ethereal and strangely hypnotic as the album-closing
"Recurring Dream."
~ Andrew Leahey