Darlingside - Pilot Machines

Mastered by Doug Sax and Robert Hadley; engineered and produced by Nathaniel Kunkel

Limited edition of 500 hand-printed letter press jackets by Independent Project Press

Double LP plated and pressed by Quality Record Pressings on 200-gram vinyl

The Massachusetts-based string-rock quintet Darlingside presents Pilot Machines. The album's title comes from lyrics that touch on the themes of people, places, humans and machines.

Darlingside is a diverse group of accomplished musicians consisting of David Senft (vocals, guitar); Harris Paseltiner (cello, guitar, vocals); Auyon Mukharji (mandolin, violin, vocals); Don Mitchell (guitar, vocals); and Sam Kapala (drums, vocals). The group members went to college in Massachusetts and had all played music together in various combinations over the course of their education but t wasn't until they graduated that they came together as a full-fledged band, "We hadn't played together as a five-man unit until we set up our basement rehearsal space," Kapala told the Portland (Maine) Press Herald in an interview.

For its first album Darlingside brought in the firepower of producer Nathaniel Kunkel (Sting, Crosby/Nash, Maroon 5). The album was recorded in the band's home in Hadley, Massachusetts and mixed at Conway Recording in Los Angeles. The project was recorded with all Class A electronics utilizing Cello Strings, Wireworld, MIT and Carnare Interconnects. The session was captured in high resolution with Lynx Studio converters by microphones that included vintage Neumann and B&K laboratory microphones.

"I knew we needed to bring the studio to them," Nathaniel Kunkel reports. "They were too good to bring to L.A. and its distractions. So I brought out a studio of all the best gear I could find and we set up in the home that the band already felt comfortable in. Stephen Jarvis Audio and Bruce Seifried at Eclair provided us with GML mic pre's and their private reserve of microphones. I think the results are stellar. The patience and care we put into it really comes through."

Pilot Machines is a meticulously arranged album that weaves together intricate guitar lines, captivating melodies, witty lyrics and luscious harmonies into an eclectic musical menu of timeless songs. The result is both groundbreaking and familiar. The cinematic "Drowning Elvis," has a very spaced-out drum groove, lots of strings and a clean guitar sound. "The Woods" and "Ava," both get absolutely massive. "This album benefits immensely from the vinyl pressing," Kunkel added. "The lacquers were cut directly from the first generation high resolution master by Doug and Robert with great success. It ranks as one of the most high resolution pieces of product I have ever made."

Still

The Woods

Drowning Elvis

Ava

The Company We Keep

Blow the House Down

Only Echoes

When Fortune Comes

My Love

Terrible Things

The Ancestor

Sweet and Low