“I imagine these roaming passages could be responsible for some truly inspired concert scrambles, but in the midst of mostly 3-5 minute songs, they seem to excise the important parts to get to the look-at-us-ramble freedom.”
So I wrote of Autolux’s new LP, Transit Transit, in my frustration to find great songs that reminded me of their oft engaging (and occasionally stellar) debut full-length. It may be too soon after the release to make judgment on how the new tunes unfurl in the electricity of live productions, but considering how long it took for the band to release the new record, I can’t imagine it was a rush job; they’ve clearly pored over them at great length to make them sound exactly as they intend. So it is with some chagrin that I must report that (as of now) the new songs mostly land undernourished and unmemorable onstage. I may not have grown restless when they dipped into the new playbook, but I was not alone in the venue at getting riled up by Future Perfect’s meatier offerings while cooling on my heels a bit in their absence.
They’re not bad songs by any stretch, and opening the show was “Transit Transit,” a Radiohead-esque little gem with a stuttering loop beat and melancholy keys much like “Videotape.” As an entry, it unlocks the set with some moody but off-kilter charm. But it was “Sub-Zero Fun” from Future a few numbers later that finally lit up the show. What I felt was Transit’s liveliest offering, “Supertoys,” had the best chance of succeeding, and for the most part created a charge lacking elsewhere among the other album samples, but one of the studio version’s most appealing factors is Carla Azar’s vocal that arises from the storm about a minute-and-a-half in; maybe I was too close to the speakers (and I was right next to one), but the muddy acoustics caused her voice to get lost in the distorted roar. Anyone unfamiliar with Autolux likely didn’t understand a word sung by anyone all night, but the loss was felt in the timbre not the verbiage’s alacrity.
The sound was suspect several times during the performance. Not surprisingly, a lot of time was spent by various band members (especially Greg Edwards) pressing pedals and fiddling with knobs. Considering how important a dense, loud and busy sound is for this trio, I can’t blame them for efforts to create massive (and sometimes surreal) soundscapes, but it’s just not that appealing to watch a guitarist bent over a board half the night. Any difficulties in getting the audio right mimicked the little problems with the basic equipment: a broken guitar string and a downed cymbal on different occasions. What’s most surprising, though, is how little these minor difficulties impacted the results. In the end, the best songs were invigorating while the more modest material started to drift lazily. Or is that because I’ve memorized the best ones and could follow the melody even if a wave of unending feedback turned it all into a grimy screech?
As is expected with a band indebted to post-punk and shoegaze, the performance itself was of the heavy-lidded, almost sheepish in the spotlight exhibition. So what was most impressive of all was the way they still remained focused on the technique in the face of a fairly scattered crowd. It was disheartening to find Southgate House only about half full (they even had tables and chairs only a few yards from the edge of the stage), but Autolux played with the sort of insouciant furor that marks the dark wave style. Even when Edwards seemed preoccupied with the overdubs and phase shifting, Azar and Eugene Goreshter were focused on the visual connection, one pummeling the kit with the sort of intensity that would (and, um, did) cause hi-hat spillage and the other in a wide stance barreling away on the bass for a rumble that rippled my clothes. They certainly gave it their all, even treating the small crowd to a satisfying encore.
Mallory and This Will Destroy You opened the show, both fitting in well with the reverb-heavy, bliss-to-chaos style. TWDY particularly impressed with their brand of epic instrumental post-rock, unearthing the kind of harsh but steady sounds that would definitely excite stoners who find Jack Johnson and Rusted Root too mellow. Unleashing a hypnotic torrent of sound followed by needling keyboard exercises made for some trance-inducing spells. So a three-act show and inexpensive ticket prices definitely made for a great weekend out. And despite the technical gaffes and a few slow spots in the setlist, Autolux is certainly worth seeing if they come to your neck of the woods.
Their current tour dates can be found here.
