Autopilot is for Lovers (is for me)
Looking for a great new Portland band to adore? How about these guys?
AutoPilot is for Lovers
http://www.autopilotisforlovers.com/
“Autopilot is for Lovers” is a fine new four piece from PDX with a small spunky lead singer (Adrienne Hatkin – or should i perhaps say Smoking Hotkin) who mixes kim gordon with jan sjankmeyer producing wavering tones of goodness as she rocks out either a Banjo or a bad ass red guitar that seems to be plucked from the pages of Robotech. There is a towering violinist (Fiona McLoughlin) who looks around alot. The rhythm section is tight, adding a nice layer of rock out to what could otherwise delve into iron and whinedom. Paul Seely (skins) and Kyle Knight (says violin in the liner notes but I believe he was on bass) were both great, but need to ’sex it up a bit’ when it comes to the performance. (Come on boys, make the ladies swoon. )
I like Forget Cassettes, Interpol, Cat Power, and Siouxsie more than the average man on the street, so Autopilot was right up my alley. They played the Alberta Art Hop and did a great job. The crowd loved it. This could easily be a big band – at least on the indie scene. I would hurry up and book this band for your indie venue. Come on, try to keep ahead of the curve rather than just following whatever CMJ throws your way.
They offer 2 CDs at their shows, an EP for $6 and the full length “To the Wolves” for $10. I bought both, and am very happy with my decision, though the show was more rocking than “To the Wolves”, which is excellent, but much calmer than I had imagined.
You should get them both, but if you are on low end of broke, then don’t miss the EP. The packaging alone (you can fold it out and hang it on your wall) makes it well worth the money, and it seems like they may be hard to come by a year from now. I liked the music too, with songs like “Dogs for Cats” and “#1 Fan” that really brought back Sonic Youth, Erase Errata, and Forget Cassettes to the tip of my musical tongue. If you play #1 Fan really loud on your boombox, you will get laid, I promise you. That’s worth $6, no matter how broke you are.
The Full Length is an excellent record as well. It showcases Hatkin’s vocals exquisitely, especially in tracks like Come Now, Bones, and Whale Belly. Some songs, like Left to the Sun and Shadows, do reach rock heights, but too many tracks lack drums for my taste.
If you are one of those people that only buys individual songs now, my picks would be:
- #1 Fan
- Dogs and Cats
- Left to the Sun
- Bones
- Whale Belly
- Come Now
- Shadows
