Album: Future Perfect
Year: 2004
Genre: Noise Pop, Experimental, Shoegaze
Country: U.S. (Cali)
In the music industry, bands are known in their respective genres on the following criteria: they helped pioneer the genre, they popularized the genre, or they're just fucking good at what they do. It can be a combination of the following, but that is essentially how bands become known. Stage personality really doesn't matter that much. How fame is handled (or in some cases, how no fame is handled) has little importance to the masses listening to them. The reason people enjoy music, except for the popularizing image and/or the indie cred, is purely based on the sheer quality of the music. This is the way things go, you either enjoy it, or you don't. The definition of subjective, is almost completely described by the concept of music tastes alone. Its simple really, people like their own music. If this was untrue, than music would have never evolved and we would still be listening to Irving Berlin, or Mozart exclusively. Sure people enjoy these two artists, but not everybody.
On a different note, Autolux. A band formed by 3 supposedly bored musicians of bands from the 1990s. Guitarist Greg Edwards was in the grunge outfit Failure, a band whose release Fantastic Planet is definitley worth a listen, whilst Drummer Carla Azar was a former drummer for PJ Harvey. Bassist and vocalist Eugene Goreshter completes the band, and gives them the distinct tenor vocals, but not in a very conventional style. This release deserves a giant question mark when given genre, or what the band is really up to. They disappeared for over 6 years to release their mediocre follow up Transit Transit in 2010.
This album has a distinctive spacey, noisy, melodic brand of what is questionably Shoegaze. Although it sounds completely original, it is exceptionally hard to put a finger on what they are doing that is different. But honestly, it doesn't matter, whatever it is they're doing, they're doing a hell of a good job at it on this release. Although it may be a little hard to get into it at first, it completely grows on you, until this is the only album you listen to for a week. No one is even sure why.
The album starts off with the heavy drum beat of 'Turnstile Blues'. Its a very memorable beat, and it is followed by Goreshter's uniquely harmonizing vocal style. Once the chorus is approached, a wall of guitar noise hits like no other song in the 2000's had previous to that date. The song progresses from there with a simple, yet genius guitar riff that goes perfectly with the song. The next two tracks, 'Angry Candy' and 'Subzero Fun', are prototypes of fuzzy pop songs that have become popular later in the decade. Maybe not quite the same, but its there nonetheless. The album fluctuates from there, varying between different degrees of ambient noise, fuzzy power chords, and strange vocals. Those mighty drums will haunt for days.
Rating: A
Tracklist:
1. Turnstile Blues
2. Angry Candy
3. Subzero Fun
4. Sugarless
5. Blanket
6. Great Days for the Passenger Element
7. Robots in the Garden
8. Here Comes Everybody
9. Asleep at the Trigger
10. Plantlife
11. Capital Kind of Strain
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?wzljimvgnyy
Link to Fantastic Planet to those interested: http://www.mediafire.com/?nvlo5teowtj
thanks
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