W/W/D/K/F by Pilotpriest (Review)

Anthony Scott Burns has made a name for himself as a film director; his works include 2013’s dark sci-fi short Manifold and 2012’s Epoch. However, he’s also recorded several albums of cinematic analog-sounding electronic music under the Pilotpriest moniker. His most recent album, W/W/D/K/F, was released last month and its nine songs are by turns haunting, dark, epic, and danceable — and certainly recommended for fans of Makeup & Vanity Set and Daft Punk. “The Last Goodbye” is an obvious highlight, with delicate synth lines and arpeggios evoking long lost cult classics, while “Scherzo” is a lovely cascade of electronic sounds.

W/W/D/K/F also features two long bonus tracks — “The Father” and “Body Double Reprise” — which are bit more challenging and abstract than the “official” album tracks. Eschewing the beats and grooves prominent on songs like “Archive Seven” and “The Last Goodbye,” the bonus tracks delve more deeply into dark, cinematic ambience. This is especially true of “The Father,” with its tense atmospherics, sparse piano lines, and melancholy string arrangements; imagine a Christopher Nolan film score composed by Max Richter rather than Hans Zimmer.