Pilotpriest, an artist we were only vaguely familiar with, sent us an album with twenty five tracks on it. That kind of thing tends to make us shudder a little, but we had some stuff to do so we stuck it on. Two hours later we’d got nothing done, wondered where the time had flow off too, and were in love with Pilotpriest’s ‘Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’. Yes, you read that right, two hours! It’s a rare best that is that kind of length and at no point at all gets anywhere close to boring. I’m not overly sure how easy this album is going to be to review, it really is one of these records that has to be heard, I can imagine everyone taking something different from it and the overall work truly is an experience, one that has to be had, not read about. No writing I can do will do the experience of listening to this album Justice. It’s not just a collection of songs, it’s a narrative, it’s an artwork, and your relationship to it will be different to mine.
After a bit of digging around it turns out we were familiar with Pilotpriest! Do you remember ‘The Crash’? That ‘leaked’ track from from Daft Punk’s ‘Tron: Legacy’ soundtrack, that Kanye West raved about thatwas quickly proven to be a fake, but we said we liked it anyway? Well that was him. Whist the ‘leak’ was cheeky, Pilotpriest hides behind nothing on his new record, and he would have no need to, it’s an electronic masterpiece, a couple of hours of pure bliss for an fan of synthesizer music. ‘Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ is a collection of instrumental electronic peices, some leaning toward experimental Sci-Fi compositions, some Disco tinged dancefloor tunes, all of them named after ‘80’s movie titles. The albums opener ‘Body Double’ is a twelve minute opus that lays down the law in regard s to what to expect from the album. Layers and Layers of analog synths, intertwining melodies, emotionally resonant chord progressions and a nod toward Italo dancefloors via a driving beat and bassline. The thread here, on such a lengthy album, is Pilotpriest’s sound. Where as the individual tracks on the record play out like a movie, each one encapsulating a particular mood or a particular occurrence, they all weave together effortlessly under the umbrella of Pilotpriest’s own stylistic sonics. Drawing from ‘80’s movie soundtracks, a lot of the sounds of Italo dancefloors and electronic instrumentalists such as Jarre or Vangelis Pilotpriest creates an analog synthesizer soundscape that is as musically rich as it is damned funky. Of course, for someone who nearly out Daft Punked Daft Punk, there is also a fairly healthy injection of French Disco in here, but while at times you can hear a Daft Punk influence, it never sounds like he’s trying to emulate them when the album does veer into Disco territory. Mostly though it’s an amazing melting pot of atmospheres ranging from high-octane to quite and introspective, a true soundtrack to any moment in life. Pilotpriest’s musically it shines through in every corner of this record, lifting it high about his peers, this record isn’t a ‘production’, it;s a work of art. If you like soundtracks, you’ll love this album, if you like Disco, you’ll love this album, if you like Italo, you’ll love this album, if you like synth music, you’ll love this album. If fact, I can’t imagine anyone who reads this webzine not loving this album. Unsurprisingly, ‘Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ comes highly recommended. Did I mention that it’s 99¢ (that’s about 68p for us in the UK)?
♫ Pilotpriest – Risky Business
♫ Pilotpriest – Thief
♫ Pilotpriest – Rad (Radwoman)
♫ Pilotpriest – After Hours (Pleasure Glove)
Pilotpriest’s ‘Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ is out now.
Buy Pilotpriest’s music from:
electronic rumors 