Customer Reviews

Caught By the Window

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a huge music fan nearly my whole life. I own over 800 CD's, and I've played guitar for over 9 years. I've worked at a music store as a guitar instructor for the past 3 years. Literally all I do is listen to music, play my guitar, and read music magazines and websites. I am an obseessed music junkie. And now I am journalism major at school and hoping to one day become a music critic.
Recently I had an assignment to write a review of any kind, and without hesitation I chose to write an album review of "Caught By The Window." Why? Because quite frankly, it is one of the greatest albums I've ever heard. And believe me, I don't toss that phrase around lightly. I am saying this from the perspective of a guy whose record collection spans all different subgenres of rock and roll from the '50s all the way through to today, as well as all sorts of old blues, jazz, R&B, reggae, folk, classical, you name it.
So anyway, here is the review that I wrote:


Pilate is the best British rock band to emerge in over a decade. But here's the real kicker: they're from Canada.
Huh?
That's right. Pilate's sound bears such a striking resemblance to Brit-pop mainstays like Radiohead, Coldplay, The Stone Roses, and The Verve that it's easy to picture them slugging it out on London's cutthroat music scene. In reality, the four-piece group has slowly amassed a small but dedicated following by playing gigs in their hometown of Toronto and various cities all over Canada and the northern U.S.
Combining all the best elements of the aforementioned bands as well as Irish legends U2, Pilate's debut album, Caught By The Window, is a bona fide masterpiece. It somehow manages to encompass the aural majesty of Radiohead, the lyrical detail of Coldplay, and the intense anthemic power of U2 without sounding derivative or unoriginal. Caught By The Window is an inspired collection of emotionally charged songs that finds Pilate trimming away the fat that plagues many of their Brit-pop contemporaries without sacrificing an ounce of complexity or depth.
The band - which consists of vocalist/guitarist/pianist Todd Clark, guitarist Chris Greenough, bassist Ruby Bumrah, and drummer Bill Keeley - has an extraordinary ability to cut directly to a song's emotional core, rather than diverting your attention with experimental noise collages or bizarre, arty interludes. Each tune is so well-crafted because it strips away any unnecessary components that would detract from its emotional impact. In essence, Pilate writes great pop songs with great hooks.
This is a group that truly understands the importance of dynamics and subtlety. Better than any band in recent memory, Pilate is able to shift seamlessly from delicate, near-whisper passages to explosive choruses that envelope your entire body like a warm blanket. They also know instinctively when not to play in order to leave breathing room for Clark's vocals, often to dramatic effect. Bumrah and Keeley favor relaxed, laid-back grooves, but they have no problem turning up the volume and letting the songs soar. Greenough's guitar playing adds depth and texture to Pilate's sound. He has a knack for writing gorgeous, instantly memorable melodies that float effortlessly through the fabric of the music.
Even with their undeniable skill as musicians, what truly separates Pilate from other bands is Clark's startling talent as a singer. With a passionate voice that often hints at the styles of Thom Yorke, Bono, and the incomparable Jeff Buckley, the New Zealand-born Clark consistently cuts deep with his sincerity and depth of expression. The similarities to Buckley are especially impressive. Clark is possibly the only vocalist to ever match the angelic falsetto that Buckley made his trademark a decade ago, without ever directly copying the singer's technique. The band's effortless sense of dynamics is due in large part to Clark's uncanny ability to push and pull the music with his voice, which breathes an astonishing amount of life and profundity into already terrific songs. He can be tender and poignant at one moment and then build to a rousing, energetic wail without ever sounding strained. Clark's lyrics are generally melancholy and thoughtful, exploring the murky depths of topics such as loneliness, depression, and heartbreak. But rather than wallowing in self-pity, his words also offer hope and redemption, seeking comfort in the cathartic beauty of the music.
Caught By The Window opens with "Endgame," an earnest piano meditation that sets the introspective tone of the album. The song's theme is later revisited on the album's final cut, "A Reprise," which takes the elegant framework of "Endgame" and lets it grow into a beautifully chaotic squall of roaring drums, guitar, voice, and piano. The music swirls into a tumultuous climax before crashing down abruptly and vanishing into the air. These two songs unify Caught By The Window in a way that gives it a feeling of completing a musical cycle.
On the more upbeat numbers, such as "Melt Into The Walls," "Overrated," and "Perfect Thrill," Pilate burst out of the speakers with catchy hooks and rock and roll energy while still maintaining a reflective mood. Nowhere is this balance more evident than on the spectacular "Into Your Hideout," in which a driving guitar riff and pounding drums propel Clark's vocals to stratospheric heights. During the song's middle interlude, the band suddenly shifts to a more somber backdrop, building emotional tension before swelling to an impassioned crescendo in which Clark sings "Gray shadows and white meadows/A bitter snow is falling/My legs fail me/The ground hails me/The distant lights are calling/Into your hideout."
"Out On My Feet" features clever use of a children's choir that recalls Pink Floyd's classic 1979 hit, "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)." After Clark's initial verse, the choir joins him in declaring, "I'm out on my feet again/Is this love lost or found?" and later accompanies the biting refrain of "I'm not sorry/I'm not sorry now." The sense of resentment is then brought to full fruition as the band kicks into the album's most ferocious guitar break. Greenough is given room to shine with an aggressive and heartfelt solo that is one of the Caught By The Window's many highlights.
Elsewhere, Pilate adeptly undertake wistful, acoustic-based ballads that confront loneliness with a mixture of solemn contemplation and bitter defiance. "Don't Waste Your Breath," "The Travel Song," "Mercy," and especially the epic "Alright" all search for solace from an unsympathetic world. The latter cut begins as a delicate, pensive expression of solitude, but later explodes into a colossal wall of guitars overflowing with enough gorgeous melodies to drive away any amount of pain and sadness.
Even among all these incredible songs, the centerpiece of Caught By The Window has to be "Fall Down" and "Collide," two of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of music that you will ever hear. Both are exceptionally powerful cuts, but "Collide" is truly Pilate's shining moment. Over a fragile acoustic landscape, Greenough enters with a stirring slide guitar line that echoes that of Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You." Clark delivers his most intense and touching vocal performance, beginning barely above a whisper before stretching out and exploring the upper register of his soulful falsetto. When Clark sings "And though your lips pursue me/In the shadow of your eyes/Love and fear collide," you can literally feel his heart breaking.
The most amazing thing about Pilate is that despite all their similarities to other established and respected bands, they manage to establish their own identity on their remarkable debut album. This is no small feat, and hopefully music fans will take notice.
Caught By The Window is, in short, the greatest album in its genre since Radiohead's milestone 1995 release, The Bends, and one of the best recordings of any kind in the past decade.
Not bad for a little band from Canada.


GRADE: 5 stars (out of a possible 5)

I randomly came a cross the, travel song. I was sold in second.. I cant believe these guys arent bigger..EVERYTIME I play this cd in my car...People always ask...Wow who is this? it sounds like Bono only a lot better...Hehehhe. Just buy it. Its GOOOOOOOOD!

I'm a picky listener. I've fallen out of the music scene in the last few years, and now have a very hard time finding anything new that I actually want to pay for. Well this is it! I bought this CD in Ottawa after hearing Hideaway. I can't get enough of it!!!
Even my boyfriend who hates most of my music likes this album. I love EVERY song. They are all different, and all of them grab you, and don't let go. Its soft, and harmonic, but has the emotional power to hold on.
Go to www.pilate.com Their discography has samples of all songs.

I love Pilate soooo much. I've been to some of their shows in Toronto and its amazing for the amount (being a good deal) you spend to see them preform. It was really by chance that I came across Pilate and am I ever glad I shelled out the money to buy the CD. I could listen to this album forever and its just so soothing with the musics moody and sad undercuts and well written lyrics. I just can't get enough!!

Their debut EP was brilliant, but...

When I first heard 'Into Your Hideout' on the radio, it absolutely blew me away. Why? Because there hasn't been a band like this to enter the music industry in a VERY LONG time. After listening to the rest of the album, it was settled. Pilate are going to be the next BIG band, without a doubt.

They're first major album relase may get comparisons with Bends-era Radiohead or even Coldplay, and while they may be partially true, Pilate truly stand on their own. Highlights of the album include 'Into Your Hideout', 'Alright', and 'Out On My feet'.

Todd Clark's unique vocals and touching lyrics will definately catch the attention of any Thom Yorke or Chris Martin fan.

I'm really surprised these guys haven't caught on in the USA...You can't even download their music on iTunes...Amazon is the only place I've seen this CD offered...I just heard their music for the first time about 6 months ago on Pandora and I'm hooked...Very similar to Coldplay, Radiohead, U2 etc...The Travel Song is probably my favorite on the album...I'd recommend this CD to anyone...

Really great, I've been listening to this CD since the summer of 2003 and it's still as good as it was three years ago. You should really check it out. And their second album, "Sell Control for Life's Speed" is just as good, it hit stores in Canada on April 25th. Definately a band that's going places.

That's funny, because these guys are from Canada! (Wow, 25 bucks.) Anyways, I'm not surprised to see that this album has 5 stars. A while ago I was debating whether or not to get this album. I didn't hesitate after I saw 5 stars.
This album is very mellow, but has awesome songs! I love Melt Into the Walls and The Travel Song. Not much else to say, besides that this is a great album.

What a terrific sound! I love this band! Great lead singer and good songwriting. God bless our friends from the north!

This band seriously cuts to the core of everything I look for in music; mood, intelligence, reflection, originality, and a feeling of completion. Clarks voice conveys a journey that resonates even after the song is over that leaves you in awe. The songs go from a beautiful deep sorrow feeling "collide," to more pop like songs "into your hideout." There isn't a sense of annoying experimental repetition in the music, instead the band harmonizes cleverly with the mysterious voice of Clark.
There is a sense of balance between intelligent and original melodies within the songs...
All in all, I am very much pleased.