by Stephen Thomas ErlewineOn their debut album, Into the West, Pilot Speed come across as an American U2 crossbred with Radiohead -- which means they have an epic scale balanced by a moody melancholy, but instead of writing anthems or wallowing in abstract introspection, they operate on a smaller scale, writing direct songs that are designed to connect to the heart, not the head, something that Radiohead abandoned long ago. As such, what Pilot Speed lack in grandeur they make up for in forthrightness, playing directly where their influences dance around the point. This is quite American in sensibility -- it's all about expression instead of intellectualization -- but Pilot Speed never sound rootsy, not even as much as Wilco did as late as Summerteeth, but their lean simplicity is appealing, particularly in how their sweeping echoey guitars are brought down to earth in a manner that is somewhat reminiscent of Coldplay minus the sappy sanctimonious air. If Chris Martin is a choir boy, Pilot Speed are comprised entirely of boys next door, which is what makes Into the West a likable affair.