Like walking listless down a darkened street

Got the Stars of Track and Field album in the mail the other day, and I'll talk about them soon, but included in the package was Into the West, the American debut by Pilot Speed. I had never heard of them, but have been seriously enjoying the record. It inhabits that same genre of 90s alt-rock throwbacks that have been making some waves this year, but quite possibly are my favorite of the group.

The album is full of great songs, from "Into Your Hideout" which manages to sound both glittery and rugged at the same time to "Alright" which builds and builds toward a glorious climax like Snow Patrol wishes every song on Eyes Open did. But two songs stick out for me as the best:

Turn the Lights On

A great chiming rhythm guides this song, holding the center while occasional bursts of energy leap from the surface like solar flares. In that respect it reminds me of some of the best songs from The National. But this is more pop than those guys.

Knife-Grey Sea

I'm still not completely convinced this isn't a long-lost U2 track. Many songs on the album bear a strong resemblance to the early 90s incarnation of that band, but none more than the second half of this one (starting at about 2:10). I know it's a cliche and doesn't really mean anything, but I'll still call on the word "incandescent" to describe it.

The album comes out October 3rd. Until then, listen to a couple more tracks at their myspace page, pick up their lead single "Barely Listening" on iTunes, and get any of their old (Canadian-released) albums at Maple Music.