Roadbed CD: Autopilot
Just when you think you know what the next Roadbed CD, or even song for that matter, will bring to your ears, Roadbed tosses out a definitive Screw You and launches into a musical tirade you never saw coming! Hence is the experience of listening to Roadbed's 2003 release Autopilot. You think you know what's coming? Haha, you're wrong. From the opening drum count and very punkish "Nice Bucket", to the third track, some kind of cross breed ska/nu-metal "19 Fresh Bananas", to the all-out rocking final track and self-tribute song "Roadbed", this British Columbia based band seem to enjoy throwing curves at the listener to ensure you are paying attention. A staunch refusal to be pigeonholed into a single musical genre may prove to either be their downfall or their liberation.
To get a feeling of where this band is mentally, read the very brief band bio on their site. It tells you nothing about the band, but perhaps everything of what they feel. I won't bother repeating it all hear, other than the final line: Roadbed..are disappointed by humanity. An eclectic statement to be sure, but perhaps one that more people than you know feel but refuse to admit. Therein seems to be the entire sum of Roadbed and their music. They play what they need to play. Not because they need to play it to become popular, but because it is what they NEED to play.
Musically these guys stand out with as some real talents. There is nothing on Autopilot that sags or seems out of place. Likewise the production of every track is top notch. This isn't a case of some guys trying to be artsy because they lack the skill to do otherwise. Roadbed can obviously hold their own musically along side any band.
These are the guys I would like to sit down with a couple of beer and a smoke and have a long chat with! If a discussion followed the same route as their musical tastes it would be a very interesting evening indeed!!
greatwhitenoise
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