CD Review: Banner Pilot – Resignation Day

Banner Pilot – “Resignation Day”
(Go Kart Records)

I have a special love for Banner Pilot. See, I get a lot of folks sending me friend requests on MySpace, especially bands, and it gets annoying. If it’s quite obviously a band, however, I feel somewhat morally obligated to see if they’re worth a shit. This means I usually look to see what their three styles are – punk / ska / hardcore or something like that usually means I stick around long enough to listen to a song, make a face, and click “DENY.”

Banner Pilot was one of those bands that really grabbed my ear. They sent me a copy of their first release, an EP entitled Pass The Poison, and it got reviewd here over two years ago. Since then, they’ve toured, gotten a name for themselves, and here we have this album.

Three Minneapolis / St. Paul punk acts have released albums or will be releasing albums in recent months: Off With Their Heads put out From the Bottom last month, Banner Pilot released Resignation Day a little before that, and Dillinger Four’s C I V I L W A R drops next week. They all sound a lot alike (Paddy from D4 was even in OWTH for a little bit), but each band has their own unique take on Upper Midwest punk rock.

Banner Pilot’s brand of the regional specialty brings Hüsker Dü brusqueness to the table, where it mixes with the usual gruff vocals, Replacements-style melody, and hints of mid-90s confessional lyricism a la American Steel. I believe it can all be summed up (as one reviewer wrote regarding Dillinger Four) as “crunchy.” It’s good. It follows a pattern that’s been set by a good number of acts, but until someone figures out a way to top Prince in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area, following the rock ‘n’ roll pattern laid down thus far ain’t too bad.

from Resignation Day:
Speed Trap