Pitchfork

The second Bryan Scary album Flight of the Knife is criss-crossed by narrative threads and loaded with bird/sky/airplane/flying imagery. "Imitation of the Sky" is its theatrical early peak, like a punked-up "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" complete with turn-on-a-dime transitions, spoken interjections, and lots of 1970s glam touches. Scary's lead vocals are backed by a small chorus, and he hits some wailing notes worthy of Ian Gillan in the second half. The story of Susie High, "a walking imitation of the sky" who apparently invented some kind of flying contraption, is told economically, leaving plenty of time to revel in 70s rock abandon, with proggy instrumental passages, fret board fireworks in the coda, and flamboyant chorus vocals.