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Autolux have somehow found a way to fuse the sounds of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine while avoiding the pretentiousness of the many bands that have attempted this marriage before them. The abrasively dreamy guitar sound of Greg Edwards (formerly of Failure) pretty much fuels Future Perfect. ut don’t get me wrong, the electric combination that is Autolux would not be possible without the aggressive, Zeppelin-esque drumming of Carla Azar as well as the gently damaged crooning of Eugene Goreshter. What ultimately makes Future Perfect work so well is the fact that Autolux seem to have a firm handle on what they want to sound like. The album comes across more like an inspired offering from a seasoned band with many years under their belt than a debut album. But, that’s what makes Autolux so exciting. They could very well go on to produce a masterpiece that utterly eclipses this debut or they could self-destruct before getting a chance to really make a dent. Either way, Future Perfect quite adequately speaks for itself. With each and every listen, I hear it confidently boast, “I own you.”
The most appealing feature of Panopticon is the fact it is essentially a metal record that you can easily get lost in. “So We Did” begins the album on a very heavy note, but soon develops into a hypnotic, almost epic drone that envelops you like a warm bath, and pretty much sets the tone for the entire album. Another aspect that adds to the sonic success of Panopticon is the vocal presentation. The vocals, which occasionally emerge as a vicious bark or damaged croon, are treated more like another instrument rather than the focal point of the songs. As the album progresses, it is easy to find yourself questioning the fact that Isis is technically a metal band. But in no way does this challenge the eerily enchanting effect that Panopticon can have on you.
The Black Keys ultimately come across as a poor man’s White Stripes. Let’s go down the list, shall we? One singer / guitarist … check. One easily dismissible drummer … check. An albums worth of low-fi, blues influenced indie-rock … check. But, where The Black Keys fail miserably lies particularly with Dan Auerbach’s vocal style. Coming across more like a post-pubescent Hanson brother than a true blues crooner, he continuously finds a way to suck all of the color from each song leaving thirteen cold pieces of white bread smothered in mayo. Guitar-wise, the Hendrix obsessed football player that you knew in high school would be ecstatic. Basically, Rubber Factory is a complete waste of time and succeeds only in proving that The White Stripes’ style is not as easily duplicated as some might think. So there. Millencolin have always been a very “hit-or-miss” band. Their first few albums were rather forgettable. Then suddenly, they caught my attention with Pennybridge Pioneers which was a very mature and urgently catchy pop-punk record. The follow-up, Home From Home, was almost as good, but the band was already experiencing an obvious descent. Their new offering, Kingwood, follows in this pattern. The main reason that Millencolin works has always been through the voice of Nikola Sarcevic. On Kingwood, he delivers his vocals with just as much character and energy as he ever has. The problem here is that Millencolin have become so comfortable with the success of their formula that they seem to just be writing new versions of their own songs. That’s not to say that this is a bad album. If you have never heard Millencolin, Kingwood is not a bad place to start. They still tower over the majority of pop-punk bands without even breaking a sweat. But, being a believer that a bad experimental record is often better than a pretty good normal one, I wish that Millencolin would try a bit harder to surprise.
Sometimes it seems like you can get so much enjoyment from a band’s style that you can actually overlook the fact that their songs are not that good. Pitch Black have a very dark punk sound that is half Hot Snakes and half Murder City Devils. This Is The Modern Sound starts off rather shaky. “Tonopah” comes across a bit like a forced introduction, relying too heavily on the keyboards and a very predictable “middle breakdown” to establish a style. But as soon as the band slightly relaxes into “Lovelock”, the album prepares for takeoff. “The Veracity Of Baggage” is the track that urgently yanks your collar and allows “Toothcutter” to spit its somber energy into your face. The overall tone of This Is The Modern Sound is basically a random combination of these first few tracks. There is no new ground being broken here. Nor is there anything to rush out and tell your friends about. But, nevertheless, Pitch Black do succeed in presenting an entertaining album for fans of the dark punk sound.
From the very first four-part vocal harmony that begins “Le Garage” and The Futureheads’ brilliant debut album, I was in heaven. This was exactly what I really wanted to hear at exactly the right time. What I heard was a perfect blend of The Buzzcocks, The Jam and Gang Of Four without sounding as unoriginal as the majority of the bands that recently seem to be spewing out from the severely diarrheic “new wave revival.” Instead of following the ever popular “keep it danceable and easy to digest” formula, The Futureheads (who hail from Sunderland, Scotland) seem to find a way to cram into a two-minute song what takes some bands ten minutes to accomplish. This doesn’t mean that the songs aren’t catchy. In a sort of spastically hyperactive manner, every song on the album finds its way into the same part of your subconscious as any one of those top-forty pop tunes that you pretend you don’t like. But fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you see it), The Futureheads don’t seem likely to find their way onto your local “alternative” radio playlist. With an inspiringly energetic live reputation and a flawless debut album, I really don’t think they have anything to worry about. ---- Reader Comments No Comments. |
-- ELSEWHERE ON CITIZINE -- Public
Enemy DVD Performances by Government Issue, Iggy Pop, X, and Circle Jerks now available on digital video disc. By Mark Prindle
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