Autopilot by Craig the Music Geek

MUSIC · SEP 10 2007

Attitude Equals Altitude

LOCAL INDIE-ROCK ACTIVISTS FLYING HIGH WITH NEW ALBUM
by Craig Silliphant

The Band: Autopilot
The Musicians: Marlon Harder (guitar, vocals), Jose Antonio Fuenzalida (drums), Colton Fehr (Bass).
The Music: www.autopilottheband.com or www.myspace.com/autopilottheband

"Destroy. Rebuild. It's the way we live."

"Innovation destroyed what could have been."

Those aphorisms adorn the innards of the new Autopilot album, Now It's Time You Know What We're Losing For, along with politically charged artwork that includes a smoking reminder of the fallen World Trade Center. At first, I wondered what the pictures and the vague dictums were supposed to be saying. Then I realized that the beauty of Autopilot is that they don't presume to tell you exactly what to think, through arguments hammered home with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Instead, they're simply presenting ideas and concepts, and giving their fans credit for having enough intelligence to put the pieces together on their own.

Autopilot is a local three-member group of indie-rock experimentalists who've been around in one incarnation or another since 2002. They've released several albums, including the out-of-print When You Were in 2002, and the S.J. Kardash-produced The All Divided in 2005, bringing us up to the impending release of Now It's Time You Know What We're Losing For.

Now It's Time... marks a significant step forward for Autopilot. Perhaps most obviously, unlike their past efforts this album was recorded in Regina, but it was also done with help from two staples of the Queen City scene, Joel Passmore of Sylvie and Rob Morrison of National Frost, among others.

"Things were a lot different on this record," says frontman Marlon Harder. "Being in Regina we were able to focus on the recording without any distractions. We put in long days, sometimes recording until five in the morning with a bottle of Jack Daniels. We had guest musicians on this record, including members of [Regina bands] Rah Rah and National Frost. We also added some violin and cello into the background along with some other instruments, including an alarm clock. It was a lot of fun and we were really happy with the outcome."

The final result is admirable indeed. Now It's Time You Know What We're Losing For shifts back and forth, in seamless fashion, between bouncing along while spreading some catchy indie-rock hooks, and slowing down to embrace a druggier, dreamier sound. Harder's voice complements the music well, alternating between a low hum and a raspy higher pitch but always maintaining a sense of urgency — lending a serious air to his lyrics, which, like the album art, subtly reflect the band's activist nature without overdoing it.

"We don't limit ourselves to being a political band," explains Harder. "[However], it's really hard not to write about things that affect our lives that we can't control. I think people need to be more vocal with their opinions. If you oppose something you need to be loud about it. That's the only way people pay attention sometimes. With that said, our music has that aspect to it, [but] the lyrics can be taken several different ways. We just try to add some meaning to it."

The past few years have been good to Autopilot — and this year is looking even better, with the new album already debuting at number three on CIUT FM, the college radio station at the University of Toronto. The name Autopilot is getting out there, thanks to not only the music, but also the hard work of the band, which has long held a firm belief in the ethic of DIY.

"We've sold records all over the world through online distribution," says Harder. "We've been booking our own shows coast to coast for a few years now. The response from the crowds has been more and more every time. We've just had an awesome time meeting new people on the road that love the music — it's nice to find those connections."

While Now It's Time... was obviously created with a view to offering a specific auditory experience, make no mistake — Autopilot is well aware that a live show needs to offer something different, something more — as you can see for yourself at their album release party at Amigos on Saturday, October 6th.

"The live show is a lot different from the CD," says Harder. "The show is more rock 'n' roll — we put a lot of energy into it to keep people interested. We added some intros and outros to a few songs to keep it entertaining."

It's too bad the future of the Earth doesn't look as promising as Autopilot's prospects, as support for the band seems to be growing as exponentially as a grassroots political movement. Assuming that we still have a planet for them to play on, they're already talking about recording another album next year, and filling the time in between by touring North America — being careful, of course, to duck when driving the tour van through the Bible belt and other pro-Bush areas. Indeed, Autopilot is the proverbial rolling stone, gathering no moss as they keep moving — which suits Harder just fine.

"We plan on touring a lot in support of the new record," says Harder. "We also plan on doing a U.S. tour in the New Year, and are in the process of putting together another Canadian tour this winter. I think we're just going to keep on doing this — I can see myself touring and recording when I'm sixty years old."