Planets / Grey Clouds Black Vinyl 7″
Too much Pinback, not enough Black Heart Procession. Well, that was my initial thought on the first Three Mile Pilot release in ten years. Of course when Three Mile Pilot split up they splintered into the darker Black Heart Procession and the more accessible Pinback. And after many listens I’m not sure my opinion has really changed that much but perhaps lessened a bit. What made Three Mile Pilot so great, especially retroactively looking back, was the band existed in the space between Pinback and Black Heart Procession…somewhere between dark and light. And one would be hard pressed to argue that these two new songs don’t reside in that same sweet spot. At the end of the day the songs are just too good for me to try and analyze what I was and was not expecting from new Three Mile Pilot material. I should just be thankful 3MP are back and making music together again and leave it at that. I apologize.
Label: Temporary Residence
i think 3MP is easily the best band that these guys do. i’ve been waiting for the lp for so long.
Don’t apologize. You’re absolutely right, only I’d rephrase it a little: too much Zach, not enough Pall. It was the balance between the skilled, melodic and powerful instrumentation (Zach) and the rough, the uncensored, chaos and mutiny (Pall) that gave 3MP the intensity far exceeding any thing the “splinter” could offer even at their best. These 2 songs sound like Pall’s “guest” appearance on either Pinback or Systems Officer. I hope the rest of the album holds up better, but I’m trying to no hope too much.