Although the name of the band could put off the wavering music buyer, The Great Depression are far from the self-pitying, gothic tuneless image some may bestow on them. Granted their songs fall on the melancholic side but 'Unconscious Pilot' demonstrates how another American group have developed a keen understanding of British indie music over the last twenty years. 'Two Is Fine' matches Ride for its blank vocal harmonies and dense guitar work, the highly tuneful 'Sargasso Sea' could have been recorded by Ian Broudie in a particularly moody moment. Brilliantly, the magnificent 'A Daring Tale Of Escape' calls to mind Bark Psychosis' 'I Know' with its use of chiming guitar patterns and blissed-out vocal. In fact this excellent album only falters on the instrumental tracks, which is a little worrying considering the eight-minutes of 'Meet The Hasburgs' is the longest piece by some distance. Perhaps someone should tell them that they should concentrate their resources on the downbeat Doves-like indie rock of 'Violent Goodbyes' and 'Ethansled' rather than the over-populated post-rock scene. Because apart from that, this is a terrific record.