The songs may have originated in a New York City bedroom with one voice, a guitar, and a book of lyrics, but Corrupt Autopilot delivers an experience that undoubtedly unites. The band's debut album, "Greetings From Ghost Country," is filled with a raw, unmanufactured sincerity, exploring themes like fear and regret, love and death. The melodies backing the lyrics are a maverick blend. Bass, guitar and drums tangle with the sitar, mouth harp and strings, among other instruments. At times, it's as though Bob Dylan, The Clash and Joy Division all got together for a jam session.

The project comes from the mind of 30-year-old Dima Drjuchin, a veteran of local hardcore bands and the rock trio Mother of Three. With Corrupt Autopilot, Drjuchin has taken a leap into being front man, exercising his vocal and songwriting skills alike. "It's a progressive sound," he says of the record. "We forged a lot of different genres into one. But it's still a rock record."

Drjuchin's own background might explain the album's multi-layered texture. Born in Moscow, Russia in 1980, he was raised in New York City from the age of one. A child of the Cold War, Drjuchin spent his teens absorbing both Russian and American influences. You can hear the intensity of Soviet-era singer-songwriters like Vladimir Vystosky on "Ghost Country" as much as the down-home grit of American folk artists like Woody Guthrie. "Whether it's American or Russian, it's still folk music," Drjuchin points out.

At 12 years old, he convinced his parents to buy him a bass guitar, and within a year joined his first band. "I don't think a day has gone by where I wasn't driven to play music," he says. After starting college at Parsons School of Design (where he would graduate with a degree in Illustration) and finding himself without a band for the first time since high school, Drjuchin took the opportunity to create solo material. He bought a four-track and a guitar and began experimenting. Corrupt Autopilot emerged out of that period, one that he recalls as "kind of barren" socially. He continued playing with various hardcore outfits like The Fiction and REDS, which enjoyed a cult following in Europe and The States but kept Corrupt Autopilot "on the side," he says. "I was writing songs that sounded nothing like the bands I was playing." The lyrics were always deeply personal, originally intended only for his own ears.

Eight years later, having amassed a collection of songs, the solo side project transitioned into a fleshed-out band with the encouragement of fellow New York musician Ben Wigler of New Beard. Wigler sings most of the back-up vocals on the record in his signature ethereal falsetto, while New Beard's Andrew Dunn also joins on the keys and took on engineering duties. A total of eleven guest musicians are on the album, including Drjuchin's brother Nikolai on bass, and Mother Of Three bandmates Yazan Fahmawi and Jonas Feilds. The recording was highly collaborative, with much of the material improvised on the spot. The same freestyle energy is present during Corrupt Autopilot's live performances. "I took the Bob Dylan approach to playing with a band, which is: I don't want you to know the song, I just want you to play the song," says Drjuchin.

A second album is already in the works, and promises to be much more electric than unplugged this time. The band's updated line-up totals at four members: Dima, Nikolai, Ben, and Jonas. Drjuchin is also incorporating more visuals to the live set, courtesy of video projections (designed by Nikolai) that feature his works, which are well-known in comedy and musician circles. In addition to painting, Drjuchin is also a prolific designer of vibrant event posters for comedians like Jim Gaffigan, Marc Maron, and Greg Barris.

Whether stripped-down or plugged-in, an 11-piece or a quartet, one thing will remain consistent for Corrupt Autopilot: A sincere and uncluttered approach to songwriting. As Drjuchin says, "Simple and intimate can be very powerful."

-Stacy Gueraseva
Author Of Def Jam Inc