This album is an impressive testament to the wonder of power pop. The Paper Airplane Pilots (Not Plots) pile one amazing hook on top of another. Yet there is some serious depth to these tunes. Most of the songs are up-beat pop, but they slow it down to nice effect. The guitar work has the playful intensity of the Old 97s – the guitars are textured and fall seamlessly in and out of one other. They are not afraid to toss in pretty harmonies and string accompaniments. The songs are lyrically sound as well – some are a little straightforward, but there are some nice absurd moments that let you know that they read books. These guys fall straight into the sixties invasion sound. It is hard not to think of the Kinks. Yet they add an edge to it that indicates they grew up listening to punk. At times they wear their Kinks/Beatles influences on their sleeves, but I just ate this shit right up, so it doesn’t bother me. This is a solid album.
- Matt M.

*Play this song
1. *Up-tempo - Wonderful power-pop. Pretty Beatlesque slow-down in the middle with harmonies and a cello.
2. Up-tempo. Cool song, but short – one minute – nice clustered imagery.
3. Up-tempo – a synthesized, distorted guitar sound, like Belle and Sebastian uses, threads throughout this one.
4. Mid-Tempo – 38 seconds of an acoustic guitar and the repetition of “Are you in Tune with Me?”
5. *Mid-tempo – another strong power-pop number. They really know how to use crescendos.
6. Down-tempo – sing along – harmonized to one strummed acoustic guitar before taking off into an illustrious band sound. Great tune.
7. Up-Tempo – reminds me of a Kinks tune – has that pop purity.
8. *Slow – Ballad – acoustic – cello/strings – pretty. Nice absurd images for a love song. “I would give you an orchestra/you’d give me famine and disease.”
9. Up-tempo – strings worked in nicely to infection power pop hooks.
10. Up-tempo – a pulsating, throbbing, rhythm. Another nice harmonized, slow down interlude in the middle.
11. Down-tempo – acoustic guitar – piano fills – full band sound.
12. Fast – a little more in-your face than others the others, in a punk sort of way.
13. Slow – solo acoustic guitar, a quiet bass – about an airplane
14. Up-beat – similar to other
15. Mid-tempo – good song with the word “shitty” FCC.
16. *Mid-tempo – This song is called “Chicago Skyline,” which is cool enough – but it also happens to be love song with simple, but perfect images. Nice strings, acoustic guitars, harmonies.