By Susie Salva
Los Angeles based foursome (1/2 Los Angeles 1/2 Okalahoma) Shiny Toy Guns debut release "We Are Pilots" on Universal Motown records is explosive. This indie-rock band embraces the best elements of pop, post-punk, techno, electronica and alternative dance music. "The Shinys name is derived from track five on the album, the lead chorus is about corporations. Shiny Toy Guns is a catch phrase to being a puppet to the Man. People are selling themselves. People are naïve and will take on any tasks you give them to do, regardless of it hurting themselves or other people," explains Jeremy Dawson synthesizer whiz kid and co-founder of the band.
Other members of the band includes co-founder Chad Petree, (voices, guitars), Carah Faye (voices), and Mikey Martin (drums).
Dueling vocals courtesy of Petree and Faye play out like sounds that harkens back from the ’80s from bands such as the Thompson Twins, Human League and Berlin. Influenced by Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd and Depeche Mode, Shiny Toy Guns transcend their influences producing truly unique and original material. They are unafraid to mix the latest technology with traditional elements and do so with ease.
"The album is called "We Are Pilots," Dawson says. "We want to be like pilots going into uncharted places. Our goal is to be able to cut a path that will open doors for other people who are talented but need a road to travel. We want to write the best songs that we can, and go right down the pop highway as a new sound for 2007."
The band picked up steam early along being the first to sign up for a Myspace page in 2004 when the site was in its infancy. "At first it was like Why? Because there wasn’t even a music section yet, but pretty soon it was clear. It was like a nuclear explosion for a band. Pretty soon we had 500 friends, which at that time, was unheard of," says Dawson.
Since then the Shiny’s popularity snowballed and the bands song, "Le Disko" was well on its way to 500,000 plays and the song is destined for strong radio play as well.
"We Are Pilots," is a formable effort starting off with their first single, "You Are the One," delving into finding that perfect partner. The song starts off with a gothic organ, recurring samples, a steady drum machine bursting into a rock riff climaxing with strings and a superb pop chorus. The flirty "Le Disko," contains vocals by Carah Faye, both spoken and sung utilizing a Beach Boy’s-like harmony with surging guitars and disorienting electronic noises.
Other strong contenders include, "Don’t Cry Out," where one is seeking out understanding in a relationship, "Rainy Monday," is a sparkling, splendorous pop drenched tune that stands out from the other material on the disc and is a track that will have you humming along for days on end. "Shaken" explores the realms of Pink Floyd with this eerie, hazy sounds. Finally, the disc wraps up with "We Are Pilots," as Faye’s haunting melodies cry out for understanding.
"Lots of popular bands today play rock music and put the keyboards in the background," explains Dawson. "We take a complete 50-50 approach, with lots of programming and loads of samples. Majority sections of songs are completely programmed, then suddenly we flop back to a drumset and guitar to create this synergy of technology and rock and roll. We want to utilize technology to make new sounds with the equipment that exists today and not try to ride the wave of history with our music."
With "We Are Pilots," the band created their music with new tools then furnished with traditional elements of classical songwriting. This disc has unforgettable vocal melodies, anchoring an emotional display that ranges form yearning sorrow to cool disdain. The band has an exhaustive determination in creating the best music possible. With the advances in technology the band with their quest for perfection re-recorded the whole album four times before feeling finally satisfied with the end result.
"There’s a lot of contrasts in what we do," Dawson says. " But I think that’s an important part of expressing what it’s like to be human. We’re trying to force a sound down the throats of the business and the humans, the two things that exist in music. We want to find a new color to paint and use it to make amazing pictures because when history is written, I don’t want this band to be a footnote, I want to be a whole chapter."
The band has something for everyone with their diligent and focused approach to songwriting incorporating the best of technology and analog sounds. They are concerned about melody and their lyrics are very thoughtful. To the Shinys their fans are the driving force that keeps the momentum and the rush of excitement that exists in producing the best music possible via machine or man.
For more on Shiny Toy Guns find them at: www.shinytoyguns.com or www.myspace.com/shinytoyguns.
