Blind Pilot iTunes Session EP Review
February 24, 2010.

Label: Expunged Records
Blind Pilot
iTunes Session EP


by Brandon Rabideau


Blind Pilot's self-titled, iTunes only EP has five songs on it. The songs include a Gillian Welch cover, an unreleased song, and three songs from their debut, "3 Rounds and a Sound," re-recorded with the six-piece touring line-up.

The EP was recorded and mixed by Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, R.E.M., Death Cab for Cutie) this past September.

This is a band that is very much a part of the folk-pop trend that is clogging the airwaves right now, but they do have an it-factor that allows them to stand out. The earnest sincerity of the songs as well as Israel Nebeker's gentle voice give Blind Pilot the means to be a worthwhile vessel in a sea of mediocre flotsam and jetsam.

This EP in particular is more of a collector's item however, as three of the tracks are simply re-recorded versions of songs from "3 Rounds and a Sound". It's not surprising that the group chose to make an iTunes only release, considering the sheer volume of downloads the group has to its name. Their single "Go on, Say it" was chosen as an iTunes Store single of the week two years ago and their first album reached number 13 on the Billboard Top Digital Albums chart.