3 Rounds and A Sound [Vinyl]

Blind Pilot sounds something like a wistful mix of The Shins with a bit of Iron & Wine folksiness. But these comparisons don't give a full representation of the unbelievable beauty of this album. Don't take our word for it. As Willamette Week immediately proclaimed: ''Every once in a while a band comes along that knocks me so flat on my ass that I wish I was in the PR business or an A&R guy instead of a critic, so I could throw myself wholeheartedly behind it. Blind Pilot [gave] me that sensation. Frontman Israel Nebeker sounds like a less theatric version of James Mercer: every bit as sincere and captivating, with vocal control and style to spare. And this band has songs coming out of its ears: deep, clever guitar-driven tunes fleshed out with soaring horn arrangements. Listening to and thinking about these songs has kept me awake at night lately.'' It would be hard to imagine a better review, but 3 Rounds and a Sound is just that good.

The CD release of this album hit the Billboard Top 200 in it's first week of release, and the band had the iTunes Song of the Week at the same time. NPR declared them the Best New Band of 2008. They had a Starbucks Pick of the Week with over a million download cards distributed as well as appearing on a compilation CD sold in every Starbucks. They toured with The Decemberists, performed internationally and were one of the hits of SXSW.

Now, 3 Rounds and A Sound is available again in a limited edition VINYL release.