3 Rounds and a Sound, Blind Pilot's self-released debut, sketched a bareboned folk-pop sound with short, simple strokes. We Are the Tide paints a different picture, thanks to four newcomers --- including a vibraphonist, an upright bassist, and a dulcimer player --- who add bigger, brighter colors to the mix. It's rare they everyone plays at once; instead, the band holds its cards like a poker champ, waiting until the perfect moment to throw down a loaded hand. Whenever that happens, Blind Pilot sounds like a contemporary ...
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3 Rounds and a Sound, Blind Pilot's self-released debut, sketched a bareboned folk-pop sound with short, simple strokes. We Are the Tide paints a different picture, thanks to four newcomers --- including a vibraphonist, an upright bassist, and a dulcimer player --- who add bigger, brighter colors to the mix. It's rare they everyone plays at once; instead, the band holds its cards like a poker champ, waiting until the perfect moment to throw down a loaded hand. Whenever that happens, Blind Pilot sounds like a contemporary Fleetwood Mac, with thickly stacked harmonies coating every refrain, or even a co-ed Crosby, Stills & Nash, whose easygoing specter looms large during the outro to "White Apple." We Are the Tide blazes its own path, though, bringing other bands to mind --- including contemporary names like Fleet Foxes and the Head and the Heart, both of whom build their songs around similar layers of acoustic instruments and choir-kid harmonies --- without making you wish you were listening to those groups instead. And, in keeping with the laid-back attitude of Blind Pilot's Pacific Northwest home, the album stretches its legs at a leisurely pace, leading off with a midtempo ballad --- the simple, striking "Half Moon," which dissolves into a few moments of gorgeous a cappella toward the song's end -- and waiting until the third track to speed things up with the galloping "Keep You Right." We Are the Tide is saddled with the difficult task of showcasing a new band, one whose roster has increased 300-percent since the last album, without alienating fans who first warmed up to Blind Pilot as a homespun duo. It meets that challenge head-on, offering up a near-faultless track list that sets a new benchmark in the Oregon/Washington folk-pop revival. Come for the straightforward melodies that stick in your head for hours; stay for the smart arrangements that alternate between stripped-down acoustic backdrops and panoramic, orchestral accompaniments. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi
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