Three Mile Pilot - Chief Assassin To The Sinister

Three Mile Pilot is an indie rock band from San Deigo, California with the principal members being Armistead Burwell Smith IV (aka Zach Smith from Pinback) and Pall Jenkins (The Black Heart Procession), with Tom Zinser on drums. Because of the success of their other bands, Three Mile Pilot has rarely played out much, much less recorded much since 1999, although they have released a couple songs on a 7" this past year and have supposedly finished a new album to be released sometime this year. Chief Assassin To The Sinister was originally released on Cargo/Headhunter Records in 2004, then re-released in Three Mile Pilot's short major label stint on Geffen in 2005 with the inclusion of one more song entitled "Inner Bishop" (which I have not heard yet, but have read is very good). This review is of the 2004 release on Cargo/Headhunter Records.


Three Mile Pilot - "Shang Vs. Hanger"

Three Mile Pilot have been known to incorporate diverse instrumentation in support of the primary instruments of the band (guitar, drums, bass). Here we hear bagpipes along with a beat consisting of bass plucks and soft guitar. Drums start building with vocals and bagpipes...untill Smith's distinct bass play leads into the chorus. It's Smith's bass work and Jenkins' strained vocals that really attracts me to Three Mile Pilot's sound. I also believe the songwriting is fairly strong and though exploratory in regards to sounds, does not stray from good builds, chorus, and overall composition. "Shang Vs. Hanger" breaks down into two almost symmetrical halves, with a lull in the middle, not uncommon within other songs they have written. This is as good of a song Three Mile Pilot has ever written. Here's a video of a live performance of this song at Touch & Go Records 25th Anniversary Festival.


Three Mile Pilot - "97-Mt"

Here we hear Smith on bass again, building up with the vocals right into one of the faster and more energetic songs on the album. Smith's constant slapping/playing heads straight into the eire soaring guitar solo by Jenkins, and distant vocal calls are heard out over a steady drum quarter-beats. There is calm before a returning to the soaring guitar and bass building again, back into cohesive playing, together like a gathering storm, before relenting into spoken word over bass and drums.

  
Chief Assassin Of The Sinister, being the band's second release and containing numerous good songs, remains my favorite of their albums. There's something very distinct and belonging to Three Mile Pilot that although I can listen to, enjoy and understand how one would choose either of the the band member's other bands (Pinback, The Black Heart Procession) as better bands or by personal taste, simply like either band more, I find myself returning to this band over and over again. The styles of all three of these bands are quite different, each with their own enthralling characteristics. I think there's an urgency within their sound that doesn't particularly show through regularly in either of the other bands. I'll point "Shang Vs. Hanger" as an example of this, both in the vocals and in the instrumental sound. Also, I just simply enjoy the sound Smith creates on bass.