Autolux
Pussy's Dead
*** out of *****
The Los Angeles art pop trio took a long time between albums (last release was 2010) and have become the first band released on Danger Mouse's Columbia Imprint, 30th Century Records with their newest album, Pussy's Dead. The band, Eugene Goreshter (lead vocals/bass), Greg Edwards (guitar/vocals) and Carla Azar (drums/vocals), take their time moving between soundscapes and mellow sonic textures as the 10 tracks roll out.
The dreamy-electro-pop of Pussy's Dead, usually floats out into the ether but Autolux has the added bonus of one of the best drummers working today in Azar keeping things tethered. While the groups tracks aren't earth bound by any means, her deft playing adds a solidness that is crucial, keeping this album much more engaging than if someone just average was manning the kit.
Two of the more intriguing tracks are "Hamster Suite" and "Listen To The Order" but both go after it in different fashions. "Hamster Suite" lyrically dreams and musically moves between metal screeches and organic grooves in art rock fashion, swelling and retaining a tension. "Listen To The Order" repeats and repeats while eerily breaking down and popping back up with images of violence in a tighter fashion.
The overarching issue is that energy can wane and lyrically there aren't lots of standout tracks. The opening duo of "Selectallcopy" and "Soft Scene" just float by without lasting memory while efforts like "Brainwasher" gets falsetto and pushes the dance vibe outward but never truly buys into it. "Change My Head" goes for drama and dynamics but it just feels like electro-wind and bombast, never resonating. One thing that does standout is the album art which is simple yet still striking.
Produced by BOOTS the disk does contain an easy appeal tonally but also wanders around aimlessly at times ending up a mixed bag with a few moments of magic. Those moments always seem to coalesce with the drumming of Azar adding another level of mystery and reward over more and more listens.
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An interesting disk, but we wanted a bit more energy injected into it. Support the band, buy the album and peep some video:
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