Agitated radio pilot: your turn to go it alone

I've listened to Your turn to go it alone by Agitated radio pilot now on a regular basis for a couple of years. It sounds better and better each time. Agitated radio pilot is one of those mysterious band I can't recall how I became acquainted with. I know there is a more well known act that Dave Colohan of ARP is involved in, United bible studies, but I've never brought myself to look for the music of that project. That is because Your turn... feels so self-sufficient (in a good way), a universe of its own. I can't imagine that Colohan could ever top this effort. But who knows. What's the album like? It's clearly some kind of late Talk Talk/Mark Hollis territory we are dealing with here. Quiet, sad music that displays a full, rich sound without sounding over-produced. But I also connect this album with artists inspired by British folk music from the late sixties or early seventies. Greg Weeks, Espers, are names that seem to be kindred spirits.

Your turn to go it alone consists of several parts. The first part of the album is a set of vignette-like songs about loss. Straightforward songs, but very engaging. I usually cannot stand the use of flute in music, but even the flute fit in this setting. The long, buildup track "It won't last" is a continuation of the sad atmosphere of the first part, and also on this song, Colohan sings in a distinctive, no-nonsense kind of way (no frills whatsoever - I like that). But this song brings in other elements than what the firsts songs contain (streched-out solos led by a trumpet and interestingly sleazy-sounding percussion). The last section of the album consists of an ambient track, "psych-folk" of a more abstract form (more "psych" than "folk"). This doesn't mean that the album looses something of its emotional directness towards the end; it's just different. The music slows down, becomes more quiet. But it's still highly evocative music.

I wish this band were a bit more famous so that their material would be slightly more acessible. Who knows? There are a few free downloads over at Last.fm.