Autolux
Future Perfect
(DMZ)
First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2004, Volume 11, #11
Written by John Metzger
It seems strangely fitting that Future Perfect, the debut from the
L.A. band Autolux, not only appears on the Coen Brothers’ label DMZ but also was
produced by aural wizard T-Bone Burnett. From start-to-finish, the album plays
like an hypnotic, surreal, out-of-body experience, and its warped, ominous
undertones are shaped as much by the blues as they are by the noise-pop
excursions of Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and Smashing Pumpkins.
Throughout the set, Greg Edwards coaxes both carefully sculpted, fuzzy-edged
feedback and whirring buzz saw sounds from his guitar; Eugene Goreshter sprays
the music with heavy, rumbling bass patterns that pack the power of a detonating
depth charge; and Carla Azar anchors the material by propelling it along its
path with a pummeling clatter of percussion. This three-pronged attack, combined
with the collective’s dreamily detached vocalizations, allows the group to
create a moody ambience that churns with the deliberate, slow-moving intensity
of molten lava. Granted, the formula employed by the ensemble isn’t entirely
unique, but the manner in which it is performed screams with a hallucinogenic
fury that far and away exceeds the multitude of other indie acts that, for the
better part of two decades, have been mining the same territory with
significantly inferior results. Of course, only time will tell if Autolux can
move beyond the stylistic emulation of its heroes, but if Future Perfect
is any indication, it will be an intriguing process to witness. 
½
Of Further Interest...
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Worlds Apart
Bound Stems - Appreciation Night
Future Perfect is available from
Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004 The Music Box