There are things that have made folk-rock great — finger-picked guitar, getting away from the sax, endless harmonica opportunities — and to this day, artists continue to expand its potential. Bon Iver fearlessly explored this territory on their last record, leaving us with something truly remarkable. But Blind Pilot are standing along that edge of safety and looking down, not quite ready to take off. We Are the Tide lingers dangerously in well-trod folk-rock paths. Although it’s pleasing to the ears, the amount of figurative static could become overwhelming. Young voices harmonize and groove under the sun in these pine-fresh melodies, finding their place in the timber bed somewhere next to Fleet Foxes and Dawes. It’s unmistakable in the opener, “Half Moon,” that the music is infectious, depending how immune you are to floaty hooks and naked guitars. However, as a whole the record remains in the flat plains of music that are, for now, unchanged.
This article appears in October 11, 2011.
