2009年 Jul 30日 Thursday, 22:17

Shiny Toy Guns did it the old fashioned way: they weren’t the children of rock stars and didn’t buy into a quick one hit wonder scheme. They made their way to a music contract through a MySpace fan base and some really good music. We Are Pilots brings an 80’s pop flavor to the current alternative scene to present some new ideas to the music industry.

Shiny Toy Guns has a high paced approach to their music. The first two songs, “You Are the One” and “Le Disko” are must-downloads. “You Are the One” is an energetic love ballad that is fun to listen to and doesn’t grow old. “Le Disko” has been completely commercialized; you’ll find it on TV and on the radio. It’s there for good reason. Carah Faye, Shiny Toy Guns’ female vocalist, brings an angry edge that makes the track sexy and headstrong. Think of a movie where the protagonist walks away from an exploding building casually. “Le Disko” should be the song in the background.

The first two songs sadly don’t speak for the rest of the album. “Starts With One,” “When They Came for Us,” “Waiting,” “Shaken,” and “Weather Girl” are all boring tracks, and they make up 40% of the album. It becomes difficult to wade through We Are Pilots to find decent songs when Shiny Toy Guns injected rubbish that draws away from their gems, like “Rainy Monday” and “Jacky Will Save Me.” Unfortunately, the five dull tracks also highlight what is wrong with this band. When male vocalist Chad Petree sings, he sounds good. When he goes into a falsetto, it’s not so good, even though that seems to be his disposition. The hooks are nothing new. Synths alone do not make a song.

The tracks on We Are Pilots are largely hit or miss. Shiny Toy Guns needs to keep to their high paced sound at the beginning of the album; it works for them. Also, Carah Faye’s vocals are fantastic. Her tracks are widely fun and easy to listen to. She has since left Shiny Toy Guns. We should expect great things from her, and from Shiny Toy Guns once they get their act together.

See We Are Pilots's recommended songs, bad tracks, and rating at The BurgerBlog.