EP Review: Amber Run – Pilot
Pilot
Released September 21st 2014
I have made no secret of my love for Amber Run. Since the days of their Noah EP, when they weren’t even running, I have followed their career with interest. I have enjoyed their shows and their company. Now I find myself faced with another EP review and this time I’m nervous. Will anyone listen to me when I say how good this band is now that you know I’m unlikely to criticise or have a bad word to say? I hope so because they deserve your attention.
Opening title track Pilot pulls all the punches when it comes to delivering a really huge slice of perfect indie pop. The drums reel you in; they come galloping toward you before exploding, the bass straddles the line between a mere saunter and a merry jaunt. Synths and guitars add dimension with flutters of sound before they hammer out the chorus. This is a band who know how to cleverly and consistently construct songs. Everything comes clashing together at a rate of knots and you can’t deny that there’s a passion to matches the lyrics “i don’t want to be the centre of anything, just a part of something bigger”.
To follow that track with I Found is crazy. Crazy only in that it is probably the most beautiful track I have heard in ages. I don’t mean it has some pretty piano and well sung vocals. I mean this has serious depth; heartbeat like thuds against stunning harmonies. Lyrically, as I have become accustomed to from these guys, this track is an outpouring of emotion. If you’re in any doubt about this, just skip right now to the acoustic version which is the last track of the EP. Here it’s musically stripped back to the bare bones, using only a piano. Joe’s vocals are really exposed and you can really hear that raw power and passion.
Thank You combines the softer side of I Found with the power and pace of Pilot. It moves in waves and is a clever choice for this EP. There’s an almost euphoric feel to it in places but it’s grounded by the sincerity of vocal delivery. Thank You is another fine example of how indie pop doesn’t have to be just about the soundscape and the excitement, that it can be intelligently put together and yet enjoyed and played with utter abandon.
So Amber Run have failed, yet again, to break the spell which they cast upon me. Better luck next time guys.
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