Games at High Speeds

Artist: Pilot to Gunner
Label: Arena Rock
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Original recording reissued
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 639980003024
EAN: 0639980003024
ASIN: B00008AY5S

Release Date: 2003-03-04

Games at High Speeds

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock

| Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Every Minute Is a Movie
We Got Games at High Speeds
Action Items
Zero Return
Put It in the Post
It's So Good to Be Here in Paris
Bring It Live
Believer Reciever
Band Finale
Lurid Loop's Dead
Run Interference

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Customer Reviews:

Fresh and Smart, yeah,...but it just ROCKS!.......2005-02-26

When I picked up this cd, I hit play and 11 tracks later, I wasn't sure what had just happened, but the fact that it uncompromisingly rocked was clear. This is definitely a no-nonsense, all-out rock cd, perfect for anything from car chases to love-on-the-go (or whatever you do with your high-speed time). No frills, no gimmicks, just 4 guys busy making great rock.

There have been some comparisons to Jawbox and Jawbreaker, and while these may be relevant, they're not necessarily accurate. In describing their own music, rocky-voiced singer Scott Padden states, "We just play the music we like", which isn't necessarily descriptive out of context, but it makes sense after listening to their music.

Somewhere in between the many different, complex layers in their music, Pilot to Gunner manages to capture you and keep you wide awake. "Games..." blows you away because despite the fact that it sounds like this band never took the traditional path to all-out rock, they ended up producing just that. The song structures are far from conventional, as is the use of their guitars, which is just as rhythmic as it is melodic. Often times the dynamic guitars keep the rhythm as they provide these incessantly unforgettable patterns that are the signature sound of the band. Scott's voice chants as often as it hollers over some thrilling, 90-mph-themes. (Just the feeling: this is NOT a punk band.) His voice matches the edginess of the music fittingly. Marty McLoughlin plays some really unexpected but solid basslines, Patrick Hegarty's voice meshes impeccably with Scott's, all while he provides a ceaseless, dizzying wave of guitar sounds, and Kurt Herrman's drumming is forcefully driven. It's a lot of the ingredients of an awesome "post-punk" band, but these guys are distinguishable in any crowd. The music and lyrics range from mysterious to thrilling, and don't often slow down. There aren't a lot of bands that are doing exactly what these guys are right now, and fewer that do it this well. It's not often you find yourself with something as new and distinct, and yet immediately feel an affinity for. It really just works!

I'd highly recommend this cd if you've got an appetite for something new that rocks. Their other releases are pretty fair, but this one is, in my humble opinion, their finest hour. All of their elements are working at their best, it's littered with originality, and their songs have tons of raw energy. Songs like "Zero Return", "We Got Games at High Speed", and "Put It in the Post" are some of Brooklyn's finest sounds in recent memory.

Also, if you get a chance to see them live, take it! They put on a great and energetic show, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a friendlier bunch of guys. Bring earplugs, though: you can expect a sonic boom. Double Marshall-stack/Les Paul-combos are still something to be reckoned with, especially in such capable hands.

Junkmedia.org Review - Deserving of a second look.......2003-05-14

Ahh, the simple pleasure of a pure indie rock record. With this re-release Arena Rock offers everyone a second look at Games at High Speeds, one of 2001's most unabashedly in-your-face rockers. For those not in the know, Pilot to Gunner is a Brooklyn quartet that delivers pogo-inducing, guitar-fueled anthems with a sort of dark swagger. The music might not always be imaginative, but with rock this good it would be a mistake to start mucking up the works by over-thinking it.

A big selling point of the record is that its overall production comes within respectable striking distance of recreating the battery of the act's live show. Even at relatively moderate volumes numbers like "Bring It Live" and "Put It In The Post" might have you wondering where your earplugs are. The record sounds live, right down to Scott Padden's sweaty Alex Kemp-on-steroids vocals. Fist-pumpers like "Action Items" (a tune not available on the record's original Gern Blandsten release) and "Zero Return" charge out of the speakers with an almost visceral dynamism. Perhaps thanks to the mastering work of the very busy Alan Douches, you can almost feel the Zip-Loc tight rhythm section in your gut and the two-guitar attack often redlines against the front of the mix.

A more obvious selling point is PTG's songwriting, which is solid and typically strings together series of hooks with melodies that prod crowds to holler along. When I saw this act the entire crowd joined in on the words to "It's So Good to Be Here In Paris" and jumped up and down. The lyrics are fairly conversational, and act as almost another musical element, existing in the moment and not really requiring much in the way of analysis. Which I suppose is a kind way of saying the lyrics are not always thought provoking. But every point this album makes is driven home by the gigantic guitars. This all seems fitting for a band that created a consistent and propellant full-length rock record on their very first try. That feat certainly makes the record deserving of a second look.

Jay Breitling

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

Live at the Lighthouse '66 ~ The Jazz Crusaders

Reverence and Compassion ~ Milt Jackson

The Last Years (1940-1943) ~ Fats Waller

From the Heart

Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin ~ Ella Fitzgerald

Native American Drums and Flute ~ Various Artists

Ballade Kurde a Seville ~ Issa

Picasso Portraits ~ Juan Martin

Kai-Pang ~ Nakarin Kingsak

Ruphine Missive ~ Grand Kalle & Rochereau