Sound on lease from 311, sterilized, safe-street-vernacular-injected -- Pillar come stamped, signed, sealed, and ordained as youth-group-ready. "Original Superman" is perhaps the best 'sum-up' example of the vibe running through Above, displaying all of their strengths and weaknesses in one song. Strengths: the wonderful character DJ Double K adds to generic intro-riffing, and the band's proficiency with pseudo-reggae rhythm and chugging low-end. Weaknesses: the band's proficiency in collapsing pseudo-reggae rhythms with awkward choruses, as well as misplaced aggro moments, and trite lyrics (...Jesus Christ the Original Superman / He'll be your hero in the end, He is that one true superfriend...) spewed in that rap-rock way. Somewhere along the walk through Above, DJ Double K scratches wiggidy wack -- "Hear the/Drummer/Get Wicked" -- and the seventh song on Above, "Time to Play," delves even further into triteness, contriving hipness with Arsenio Hall catch-phrases and plenty of 'Listen up!'s. Appropriately, this song is followed by the 'Yo, yo, yo!' entrance to "Open Your Eyes," a song that never really lives that down. "Galactic Groove" co-ops Beastie Boys ("Paul Revere") to a nu-funk bass-line, but redeems itself with the silk-tongued contribution of Knowdaverbs. "All Day Everyday" releases their Limp Bizkit tendencies, and has some nicely mixed BGVs that fill the song out, and make it stand out. Slick production, impressive talent, good intentions -- but Pillar are still looking for their voice.
Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 2000Reviewed by Shawna T.One of the most energetic concerts I went to this year was Pillar playing at a local club. I met their lead singer, Rob Beckley, before the show, and found him to be a quiet and reserved individual. Of course I was astonished when their set started and Beckley was jumping around all over the stage. This was before they released Above, and naturally I became curious to hear how they would sound on…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Kerry MaffeoEven before being signed by Audio Adrenaline's new record label, Flicker Records, this edgy rock/rap/funk group from Hays, Kansas was hooking fans and sparking the notice of the music industry. And for good reason. Since the release of their first indie album, Metamorphosis in June of last year, and the subsequent release of their sophomore indie album, Original Superman, Pillar has been getting…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Matthew RiddleEach time a style of music gains popularity on the backs of its forefathers, a plethora of similar bands flood the market. Trendsetters like Rage Against the Machine, 311, Korn, and EDL (on a smaller scale) paved the way for hugely successful artists like Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and P.O.D. Of course, they also paved the way for the wave of wannabes that invariably follows. Does Pillar,…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by the ProjectThis is a cool and well developed disk by Pillar. It is a really different kind of rap-core that sounds like Pax 217 only harder like 311 (recent). The raps are very clever but kinda repetitive. I am into this pretty much because of the DJ's scratching style. The singer also sounds a bit like Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit in a few songs but other than that it's 311 from there. I didn't really know…Similar sounding releases
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