photography by Ward Robinson

Everyone I know is hating on the new Autolux album. “It sounds like Radiohead… why can’t they stay a rock band… they are playing to click tracks… leave chillwave to the kids…” They are pretty much getting it from all sides. Well I urge y’all to withhold judgement until you see the songs played live. People who have a problem with the programmed beats might be stoked to see Carla punching them in real time onstage. The gritty tonality of Autolux’s live approach adds depth and weight to everything they touch and the sheer dark intensity of focus and mystery they bring to the stage brings everything forth that may have failed to make it onto tape. These are Autolux songs and they will throttle you. The only strange thing was their deviance from the hermetically-sealed bubble of severity that usually characterizes the Autolux stage presence. Eugene’s hair was long and kind of curly, Carla actually smiled–several times. At first they looked like themselves, but a rocked-out version who has been on tour for a long time and is feeling wooly. In short order, though, they puled it together, bringing the grinding machine of off-kilter rock that makes them so lovable.

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