Well, all that I can say as this record sits in my hands is that this has certainly been a long, long time coming for Three Mile Pilot; I mean, the simple fact that another album from this group has been a rumor ever since they started practicing for their appearance at Touch and Go’s twenty-fifth anniversary, and now it is a physical reality and in my possession makes this all that much sweeter. Now, Three Mile Pilot never officially broke up nor did they go oh hiatus; but their last studio album, the awesome Another Desert, Another Sea was initially released sometime around 1997 and then besides their compilation (Songs From An Old Town We Once Knew) a final studio EP in 1998. A true crime would occur if Three Mile Pilot never put out anything following those last releases because the group probably would have been doomed to be lost in the annals of indie rock lore and in the position of a tragically underrated outfit that never quite received their due recognition.
With The Inevitable Past Is The Future Forgotten, Three Mile Pilot seems to be sticking their collective head above the crowd in an attempt to remind everyone that they are here or back in a manner similar to the dry and understated style with which a large portion of their vocals are delivered (courtesy of Pall Jenkins of the Black Heart Procession and formerly of Ugly Cassanova if you need an idea and have never had the pleasure of listening to Three Mile Pilot). The album is chock full of solid indie pop songs with nary a downer track to slow the album’s mood and temperament, and there is a character and charm to the songs that makes playing them often a somewhat involuntary necessity (I still cannot stop listening to “Planets” and throw it on all the time). Many of these melodies are brilliantly subtle while being wholly infectious at the same time (“Same Mistakes” kills me every time I hear its soaring backing vocals while Pall’s delivery is right on point) while steering clear (most of the time anyway) of the melancholy sense of longing that permeates through ninety percent of the Black Heart Procession’s entire discography.
Three Mile Pilot return with an album that does not immediately blast people with its great songs and flashy compositions; instead, The Inevitable Past Is The Future Forgotten is track after track of solid indie pop songs that are completely hum worthy and stick in your head goodness (just the right soundtrack for the my autumn leaf raking). All I have to say to Three Mile Pilot (you know if they were standing in the same room as me) is “Bravo boys, bravo.”
