Autolux haven’t released a proper album since 2004 with the mesmerizing Future Perfect. After years of delays and record company issues, Autolux’s sophomore effort will be released via ATP Recordings on August 2. Download their brand new single “Supertoys” here or stream it below:
For fans of Failure, don’t forget that Greg Edward’s former band recently released 1996′s Fantastic Planet on vinyl. You can pick it up at Amazon.
Autolux’s Future Perfect may be my favorite album of the decade, so I’ve been looking forward to seeing them live for quite some time. The band opened for Nine Inch Nails a few years back, but we caught Queens of the Stone Age as the opener for the NIN shows we attended during that tour. This time around Autolux was headlining their own small clubs tour, so we hit up 2008′s favorite venue, Johnny Brenda’s. Brenda’s is unique in that bands usually hang out by the bar before shows. This was no exception as we enjoyed a few of Philly’s best microbrews next to Greg Edwards. Although Edwards is the creative genius behind Autolux, he is better known for his tenure in the criminally underrated 90s band Failure. If you don’t know Failure, check out their 1996 magnum opus
Autolux took the stage after two opening acts, Mini Mansions and Sleepy Sun. They played a setlist that included an even balance between songs from their critically acclaimed first album, which was released on the filmmaking Coen Brother’s DMZ label, and the yet-to-be-released Transit, Transit. Although the band tore through the sonic soundscapes of their set, the sound at Brenda’s couldn’t seem to handle the complexity of Edward’s distorted guitar feedback. A drowned out mix made the vocals of bassist Eugene Goreshter nearly inaudible. Although Edward’s guitars are what make Autolux go, Goreshter’s vocals juxtapose perfectly against the reverbed chaos. Drummer Carla Azar was actually the highlight of the night, as she pounded her skins perfectly on percussion-heavy tracks “Turnstile Blues” and “Robots in the Garden.” Highlights of the night included Future Perfect centerpieces “Blanket” and “Capital Kind of Strain.” “Great Days For The Passenger Element” was suspiciously absent from the setlist. While the four new songs the band played didn’t instantly impress the crowd of 200, they played an unknown Transit, Transit track as a encore. It was an epic and highly distorted composition that fit well within the band’s catalog.
