We Are Pilots is the debut studio album by American electronic rock band Shiny Toy Guns. After previously being independently released throughout 2005, it was officially released on October 17, 2006, through Universal Motown in the United States[3] and Mercury Records in the United Kingdom, with liner notes of the album referring to it as "version 3.0". Production, recording, and writing dates back as far as the early 2000s, with several songs being written during founding members Gregori Chad Petree and Jeremy Dawson's previous project, Dangerous Insects.[4] Musically, We Are Pilots primarily uses influences of both rock music and electronic music, including elements of alternative rock, indie rock, pop, electropop, post-punk revival and disco, with the band receiving comparisons to The Killers and Franz Ferdinand.[5]
| We Are Pilots | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 17, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Genre | New wave, electroclash, indie rock, post-punk revival | |||
| Length | 44:19 | |||
| Label | Universal Motown (US) Mercury (UK) | |||
| Producer | Jeremy Dawson, Chad Petree, Mark Saunders | |||
| Shiny Toy Guns chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from We Are Pilots | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Blender | [2] |
We Are Pilots received generally positive reviews from music critics, with some complimenting its "refreshing" and "retro" sound whilst others criticized it as "lifeless" and "unoriginal".[5][6] It topped the Billboard Heatseekers Album chart whilst also reaching number 90 on the Billboard 200. It was nominated for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 50th Grammy Awards.[7] The album spawned three singles: "Le Disko", "You Are the One" and "Rainy Monday", all of which peaked within the Alternative Songs chart.
Track listing
editAll songs written by Jeremy Dawson, except where noted.
- "You Are the One" (Dawson, Chad Petree, Stephen Petree) – 4:30
- "Le Disko" (Dawson, S. Petree) – 3:23
- "Starts with One" (C. Petree) – 3:45
- "When They Came for Us" – 4:24
- "Don't Cry Out" (Dawson, C. Petree) – 4:10
- "Chemistry of a Car Crash" (C. Petree, Dan Leone) – 3:51
- "Waiting" (C. Petree) – 4:21
- "Rainy Monday" (S. Petree, C. Petree) – 3:59
- "Jackie Will Save Me" – 3:59
- "Shaken" (Dawson, S. Petree) – 3:43
- "We Are Pilots" – 4:14
Bonus Tracks and Special Editions
editCharts
editAlbum
edit| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200[11] | 90 |
| U.S. Billboard Digital Albums[11] | 90 |
| U.S. Billboard Heatseekers Albums[11] | 1 |
Singles
edit| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100[12] | U.S. Modern Rock[13] | U.S. Dance Airplay[14] | UK Singles Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Le Disko" | 114 | 26 | — | — |
| 2007 | "You Are the One" | — | 25 | 23 | 94 |
| 2007 | "Rainy Monday" | — | 23 | — | — |
Earlier versions
editVersion 1
edit
We Are Pilots was first released by Stormwest International on January 1, 2005.[citation needed]
- "Don't Cry Out" – 4:15
- "Rainy Monday" – 3:59
- "Photograph" – 3:54
- "Le Disko" – 3:28
- "Shaken" – 3:56
- "Turn to Real Life" – 3:30
- "We Are Pilots" – 4:02
- "Weather Girl" – 4:42
- "Waiting" – 4:25
- "When They Came for Us" – 4:27
- "Joel's Theme" – 2:52
- "Sky Fell Over Me" – 3:56
- "Ritz" – 2:46
- "Rocketship" – 3:28
- "I Promise You Walls" – 4:11
Version 2
edit
The second version of We Are Pilots was released by SideCho Records on November 15, 2005.[15] For this album the tracks were re-recorded and the track listing re-organized; several tracks were removed and two new tracks were added. It also included a more complete CD booklet with lyrics and different artwork.
- "Le Disko" – 3:23
- "You Are the One" – 4:20
- "Don't Cry Out" – 4:06
- "Rainy Monday" – 3:55
- "We Are Pilots" – 4:04
- "Shaken" – 3:44
- "Turn to Real Life" – 3:26
- "Waiting" – 4:19
- "When They Came for Us" – 4:23
- "Weather Girl" – 4:38
- "Photograph" – 3:50
- "Stripped" – 3:30
Usage in other media
edit- "Le Disko" was featured on an episode of The Real World: Sydney,[16] in the soundtrack of the video game Burnout Dominator, on an episode of So You Think You Can Dance in Lacey Schwimmer's solo,[17] in episode 2 season 4 "Livin La Vida Loca" of The L Word, in episode "Things I Forgot at Birth" of One Tree Hill,[18] and on the soundtrack for the snowboard film People by MDP.
- "Le Disko" is included in Logic Pro 8 as an entire session file.[citation needed]
- "Le Disko" was also used as lead song on an America's Next Top Model cycle 8 commercial[citation needed], in a commercial for the new season of Dancing with the Stars[citation needed], in an advertisement for the Asia Extreme series on the Sundance Channel[citation needed], a commercial in Australia for Honda CR-V[citation needed], and a commercial for the Motorola RAZR2[citation needed].
- "Weather Girl" was featured on an episode of The Real World: Denver[19]
- "You Are the One" was featured in a promo for ABC's hit television series Private Practice[citation needed], and on the 2009 edition of the UK series Hell's Kitchen[citation needed].
- "Don't Cry Out" was used on the soundtrack for the snowboard film Follow Me Around by MDP.[citation needed]
- "Starts With One" was used on the soundtrack for the extreme cycling film New World Disorder 8: Smackdown.[citation needed] It was also used during a trailer for Smallville on the British entertainment channel e4 in December 2008.[citation needed]
- "You Are the One", "Le Disko", "Rainy Monday", "Dont Cry Out", "Starts With One" and "Waiting" were all featured on the British programme Waterloo Road.[citation needed]
- "Le Disko" was featured in the horror film Sorority Row in September 2009.[20]
- "Weather Girl" was used in the film Getting That Girl in early 2014.[21]
Personnel
edit- Carah Faye Charnow – vocals
- Chad Petree – vocals, guitar
- Jeremy Dawson – synths, bass
- Mikey Martin – drums
Nominations
edit- Grammy Awards - Best Electronic/Dance Album[22]
References
edit- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Blender review Archived December 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MacNeil, Jason. "Shiny Toy Guns: We Are Pilots Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ "Dangerous Insects Myspace". Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ a b Jason MacNeil (2006-10-17). "We Are Pilots - Shiny Toy Guns | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
- ^ "Shiny Toy Guns - We Are Pilots - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
- ^ "50th Grammy Nominees Announced". About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ "We Are Pilots, Best Buy Exclusive". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ "We Are Pilots, Bonus Track". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ a b "We Are Pilots by Shiny Toy Guns". iTunes Preview. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
- ^ a b c "We Are Pilots - Shiny Toy Guns". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
- ^ |1&N=37+4294089322 Billboard Music Charts - Latest Music News - Music Videos[dead link]
- ^ |1&N=37+4294125593 Billboard Music Charts - Latest Music News - Music Videos[dead link]
- ^ |1&N=37+4294035969 Billboard Music Charts - Latest Music News - Music Videos[dead link]
- ^ "Shiny Toy Guns Sign to SideCho". Archived from the original on 2006-05-06. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ^ "Summary page for Episode 1 ("G'Day, Australia!") at". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2007. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
- ^ Show 321/322 Performance at FOX.com Archived November 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ One Tree Hill Featured Music Archived October 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Episode 3: The Morning After at". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
- ^ [1] Archived June 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Netflix
- ^ [2]