The Samples
Autopilot
W.A.R. Records
Don't pigeonhole the Samples. Although they bring elements of a long list of bands to their sound, that is part of their uniqueness. It's just too hard to tell what influenced a certain rhythm or guitar solo, or bass lick. They configure all of these "samples" to create their own particularities.
This borrowing tradition is carried over to Autopilot, the Samples' fifth full-length, and arguably best album.
There are eleven catchy, hummable, pop songs that hang in the air long after Autopilot is over. The first, "As Tears Fall," is a heart stringy tune by lead singer/guitarist Sean Kelly that seems like it's over too soon. "If you need water/I'll be your rain/If you need fire/I'll be your flame," it says.
Another musical gem is "Weight of the World," a song "written for K. Cobain and the American press," which contains the lyric "Can I please have one more/dance with you/goodbye all I've loved and/held and knew."
Among the other highlights of this record are the three non-Kelly songs. Bassist Andy Sheldon has contributed two superb tracks titled "Only to You" and "The Hunt." They are not necessarily profound lyrically or groundbreaking instrumentally, but are simply enjoyable songs.
Autopilot is an overall excellent album that any fan of the Seventy Sevens, Neil Young, or Counting Crows would more than likely enjoy, due to both subtle and obvious similarities.
Yet, there are moments that the album is predictable and elementary. But the basic charm of the Samples outweighs those moments, for immediately following is a riff or lyric that is far from expected and ordinairy. Ä Josh Dalton