Pilot Speed's second album,
Wooden Bones, isn't a progression from their 2006 debut
Into the West so much as it is a continuation. The band is still heavily indebted to
U2 and
Radiohead, which means they often sound quite a bit like an American
Coldplay, one that lacks the pomp and circumstance that puffed up
Viva la Vida. There are no orchestras for
Pilot Speed, just guitars and keyboards (along with some tape effects) kicking up plenty of atmosphere, which the band undercuts with their innate politeness and small sense of scale. It all shimmers beguilingly, never flirting with darkness or pop melodies, existing entirely as clean space rock that remains ever so earthbound. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine