“Here Comes Everybody”
from the album Future Perfect
2004
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Autolux, an ethereal Los Angeles-based art rock band heavy on space noises and sugary hooks, audaciously claims on its Web site that its members don’t care whether or not the band is liked.
This is either a bald-faced lie or the result of a cynical outlook adopted after struggles with previous bands proved too much. Two-thirds of the group did time in largely ignored ’90s alternative acts Ednaswap and Failure.
However, it stands to reason that there would be no need to put out an album for public consumption if the opinion of its listeners didn’t matter.
To its credit though, Autolux never sought a record deal. It just kind of unfolded in a movie sort of way.
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Autolux |
T-Bone Burnett, the purveyor of the rootsy collection of songs on the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack, decided to start a label with the film’s producers, Joel and Ethan Coen. One night, while out on the town in LA amid ’80s-fashion-obsessed hipsters, he happened upon Autolux.
“He approached us and we were impressed by how knowledgeable he was about music in general,” guitarist Greg Edwards said. “He’s actually very scholarly about it.”
Burnett convinced the band that the label, Red Ink, shared a similar vision when it came to music — putting out artistically satisfying releases regardless of what the financial result would be.
It seemed to be a perfect match, and Burnett — who had helmed releases from Roy Orbison, Elvis Costello and Counting Crows — was behind the board on the band’s debut, Future Perfect.
“It may have seemed like an odd pairing, but he’s (Burnett) a very forward-thinking guy,” Edwards said.
The 11-song set is an atmospheric ride that manages to create breathing room between crunching guitars, steady beats and shared vocals. Think early Radiohead with a heavier vibe and a touch of British shoegazer rock.
Bassist Eugene Goreshter handles most of the singing duties, but drummer Carla Azar lends her pipes to one of the album’s standout tracks, “Angry Candy,” in a very Kim Deal-esque performance.
The critics have been raving about the album since its release in November, and performances around the country, including one at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival , have put the band on the top of most indie rockers’ lists.
The group was recently picked by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor to open the shows during its co-headlining U.S. jaunt with Queens of the Stone Age this fall.
All this amounts to something the group claims it never sought: fans.
“I tend to get used to the fact that we’re actually doing and that we’re going out with a band like Nine Inch Nails,” Edwards said. “Maybe I should stop to appreciate it more.” ~ Paul Saitowitz, Riverside Press-Enterprise