Beat Magazine January 2002

Beat Magazine
January 2002

Andrew McCubbin
Dead Pilot
(Independent)
Folk is the new grunge. Just as many acts nowadays draw inspiration from Kurt Cobain as they do from Bob Dylan. And by some quirk it is those from the latter category that are now regarded as ‘alternative’. An inept term, but adequate nonetheless. Brace yourself then for something quite less pop than Ryan Adams or Ed Harcourt but then more pop than recent Smog. With a charmingly rudimentary approach, McCubbin gets under your guard. Intertwined with orchestral swoops and clattering keyboards some fine vocals are fleshed out, allowing for some dry story telling in the ilk of a less wrecked Tom Waits. McCubbin is the type of artist that barring something extraordinary, the debut will mean as little in a decade as it does now. But long haul fans will have no cause for complaint in future releases.
Quite conversational, McCubbin casts his eye over topics in an amicably rueful way. The single, The Fog Song is easily the most readily catchy song on the album, although several others come close. That being the case, there are also some points where McCubbin sounds like he is trying too hard to be seductive and alluring, yet being his debut this could be an oversight. Also, apart from some minimal assistance Dead Pilot is exclusively his own work. Excluding Gouge Away, a cover song penned by Black Francis, McCubbin has written, arranged, composed and produced the rest of the material. In princely fashion he even plays most of the instruments you hear. This may account for quality control, or lack thereof, as he has gone out on a frolic of his own. Augmented by a band the songs sound much better. When he attempts romanticism the results are rather love lorn laments and swooning paeans, amiably soured and delivered in a rueful method belying his youth. T offset this slightly monochrome mood, McCubbin includes several instrumental pieces; Dead Pilot, Taben’s Dream, Piano and Summer. These pieces act as the mortar bonding the rest of the material without sounding out of place or disjointed. Overall a worthy debut which shows promise