Pilots and Errors – Broken Hearted Friends

The story behind a musician or band can sometimes be as amazing as the music they create. You start listening to the music and form an idea or image in your head of the concept and process behind the music. But when you get an opportunity to get some insight from the artists themselves, it completely changes the landscape of what is reality.

Such is the case with the album Broken Hearted Friends from Pilots and Errors. The genius behind the moniker is Travis Wilburn. Out of Lexington, KY, Wilburn is the whole dog and pony show for Pilots and Errors. He wrote all the music, played all instruments and did all the recording.

What Wilburn has created is a time capsule. The entire album sounds like one you would have purchased in the late 60’s with soft acoustic tones and imagery. In a decade where bands like The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield thrived, Pilots and Errors would have fit in very well.

I was first exposed to the music of Pilots and Errors through another site and fell in love with the track he sent in for a feature there. “Die 4 U” quickly became very popular on the other site and it made me look for more. What I found were 10 tracks of acoustic loveliness different than much that is out there right now. The lyrics are more artistic and poetic in nature, which speaks volumes about Wilburn as a writer.

When you listen to the album as a whole, you will notice there is a distinct sound quality that is quite different than what you might hear elsewhere. I asked Wilburn about it.

That tin can sound is the sound of be being broke as hell. Pretty much just trying to work with what I have to get the songs across as listenable as possible.

I use garage band- an old shitty condenser mic- a guitar I bought for $30 (as part of a package deal with a blender)- a borrowed banjo- a broken toy chord organ from Goodwill for $12- and the most important ingredient/tool is my very limited understanding and skills in using recording programs.

I am definitely looking to upgrade in the equipment department, but for this project I think it kind of worked.

Despite what Wilburn lists as limits to his ability to record, this album is stellar. An example of this would be in the song “Errorplane.” The first song he wrote for the current release, Wilburn brings a Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) quality in the range of his voice in a song about heartbreak. He mixes up harmonies very well in “Summer Comes For Everyone.” Interestingly enough, this song is a tribute of sorts to one of Wilburn’s favorite songs, “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand” by Primitive Radio God.

Broken Hearted Friends compares well to the works of such artists as Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Iron & Wine. What Wilburn is missing is a backing band. Putting together accompaniment for what is already here can only enhance the beauty of these songs. Do yourself a favor. Go download this album (which is free). If you are a fan of any of the bands mentioned above, you will not be disappointed.

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