I slowly have the feeling that FAT WRECK CHORDS is experiencing a second spring, or that Fat Mike has won the lottery. The output coming from them lately is quite astonishing, and it’s always relatively young bands that bring fresh air to the scene.
BANNER PILOT is one such band. They released their debut album in 2008, which made quite an impact. For FAT WRECK CHORDS, it was clear that the band was coming to us, and now they are under the wing of Fat Mike and his label colleagues with their second album “Collapser.”
With BANNER PILOT, the label had a golden touch, or simply the best offer. Who knows? In any case, the band makes it clear right from the first song which direction the next eleven songs will take, and above all, that they know their craft. Here, singalongs, captivating melodic arcs, and a rough voice come together. The result is punk rock that is bursting with melodies, sometimes reminiscent of Face to Face and at other times leaning strongly towards No FX. California punk rock that, thanks to the rough voice of singer Nick, no longer sounds like a very young teenager, but rather like someone in their mid-twenties who has already had more than one drink with over 40% alcohol. Nevertheless, or perhaps precisely because of this, he is still in a good mood and prefers to coax major chords from his electric guitar rather than minor ones.
The recording is clean, the bass and drums have the punch they need to sound good. The melody-carrying guitar also stands out. Here, the sound fits perfectly together!
The songs are all very diverse, so that even after multiple listens, there’s no boredom setting in; instead, you always find something in the songs that you missed during previous listens. This is not common in this genre. All the more respect is due to BANNER PILOT for “Collapser.”
A truly great album!
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