Search - Downpilot :: Leaving Not Arriving

One of the year's best

Scott Balikian | Seattle, WA United States | 08/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A friend made me aware of this band recently by putting a couple tracks on a compilation he had made. I was hooked from the beginning. The songs were the beautiful, "True" and the addictive, "Sunshine". The latter is present as a constant, pleasant humming in my head. Listen to any of the samples here, you'll see what I'm talking about. Great, great album."

Songs+Texture+Mood= Headphones On and Wishing the World Away

transmissionarypaul | Seattle WA USA | 09/20/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For Northwest fans of this band, consider this CD a promise kept; the alchemy of Down Pilot and producer Tucker Martine has resulted in an album that's both sonically arresting yet quietly confident. Down Pilot don't swagger; they sway. I know it's not hip to compare a band to R.E.M. anymore since that group's indie cache is long spent on Nudie suits and Learjet flights, but damn if vocalist Paul Hiraga's sweet, tactile vocals don't conjure up a similar sense of foggy longing (think "Country Feedback" with a few Radiohead guitar spirals mixed in, and you've got a sense of the terrain).

Ethereal without being obtuse, moody without being standoffish, "Leaving Not Arriving" doesn't pack the obviousness to get them a gold record, but it's sure going to win them some hearts. Is yours next?"

I get it!

James D. Catalano | Hopkins, MN United States | 10/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There comes a time when, after listening to an album about ten times, you get it. I think I have finally figured out why I enjoy listening to Leaving Not Arriving. It fits together, the music, the vocals and pace of the album represent a nice smooth transition between songs and moments in your day. It is not ground-breaking/experimental/revolutionary music that sets it apart from what is around the radio today, but rather, the concept that appears to be missing - by making a simple, warm, harmonic, beautiful collection of songs that you want to listen to over and over. There are a lot of different influences I hear in this album from REM to Stuart Davis to even maybe some later XTC. Quit wasting your time reading my ramble and buy it - you won't be disappointed."