"Shake the clouds down" - Autolux

As I mentioned in my post about the Silversun Pickups, LA seems to be putting out fuzzed out bands who love ecstasy and My Bloody Valentine, usually within the same time frame. This usually means there are a lot of bands that come across as sounding like slightly more artistic versions of the Smashing Pumpkins, not all succumb to such a fate. Some end up sounding like cheap versions of Pulp, which is a fate worse than torture. Jarvis Cocker is bad enough as it is, but when you get someone trying to knock him off, it's worse than listening to some garage case that thinks he Fredde Mercury or *shudder* Bono.

Of course, with roaring feedback that shimmers, comparisons to My Bloody Valentine are inevitable. It happens to every shoegaze band, just like every rockabilly artist from the 50's was judged in relation to Elvis. Autolux just happened to be Carl Perkins, is all.

I first heard the song "Sugarless" back when I used to read the Buddyhead mp3 blog. Remember when they used to update that site? Me neither. Anyway, it was enough for me to pick up Future Perfect, their sole record, when I found it at Record and Tape Exchange. I knew it was gold when I put on the first side of the first record, and the drums were mixed loud enough that my easy-going neighbors began pounding on the wall. Pissing off the neighbors always helps a winner to make.

They're on a label owned by the Coen brothers (yes, the ones that make the movies) and T Bone Burnett, the blueman that produced a shoegaze album. That alone blows my mind. Once again, it only supports my argument that most British-derived music is just electric white boy blues, regardl;ess of the pitch of the singers' voice.

II think "Sugarless" is probably the best song ever about not doing heroin anymore, if I'm interpreting correctly.

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/15593/Autolux_Turnstile_Blues.mp3.html

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/572127/Autolux_Sugarless.mp3.html

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/3398930/Autolux_Subzero_Fun.mp3.html