My Pilot: For Winter

My Pilot's debut album may be seasonally apt, but the Dubliners do themselves a disservice with their self-described "death-folk-country-noir-pop-blues" tag. You can guess the problem: like many ambitious acts, their first attempt to showcase as many styles as possible makes for an unfocused, rudderless record. The quartet shuffle haphazardly between half-formed rock and gentle folk, struggling to find their feet until the album's last gasp with standout tracks Daggers and The Last Big Party, the latter a meandering midpaced indiepop beauty somehow reminiscent of Cashier No 9. There are fine elements to other songs, such as the Air-like bassline on Kids, but without direction they're frittered away. My Pilot do have potential – let's see if their springtime instalment brings a more satisfying yield. mypilottheband.com Download: The Last Big Party, Daggers