This Autolux
Future Perfect is very nice. Not sure who already has it but I know some of youz people here were talking about it awhile ago and remember seeing it high on some of your year end lists. AMG only gives it 3.5 stars and no review, but I think it rates much higher than that. Man, if you like the sound of shoegazer power pop (ie noise pop), this seems like the deal based on my first few listens. Like My Bloody Valentine covering a Pixies tribute to the Shoes, if that makes any sense. Hints of the Cocteau Twins too on the slower songs, especially when drummer Carla has the mic. Obviously not the most original sound in the universe....but pretty damn irresistable to me. DMZ label co-owner T-Bone Burnett is in the producer's chair which seems like an odd choice, but whatever his role was in the sound, it definitely works. I guess DMZ is affiliated with Sony so it's probably available everywhere. I picked up my copy at the Tower Christmas "sale" yesterday for $11.75, which is hardly a good sale price since "normal" retail is only $12.98 and you can get it online for under $9, but Tower usually marks everything at least a dollar above retail and this was no exception as it had a $13.99 price tag. Oh well, where else ya gonna buy a CD on Christmas Day! Big writeup at
http://parasol.com/catalog/catalog.asp?zoomtitle=70135 with some review excerpts, but they sell it so it's not exactly objective. Hints of the softer side of Pink Floyd at times and some of that gentle Abbey Road side 2 sound as well. It does erupt with squalls of guitar feedback on most of the songs, very much like MBV and Ride, which are probably the closest references. Too close probably, but very nice nonetheless. Big drums too which separates it a bit from the the more blissful sound of something like Loveless. One of those CDs that I could probably listen to exclusively for days and still not feel like I had completely absorbed it. Just found a good review at
http://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewid=4974 that says most of the right words and mentions most of the right bands. Did they review it at the Fork too? When the guy is singing I swear they do sound a lot like the Shoes, or at least from what I remember. Have to get out my Shoes vinyl and check it out.
Present Tense is a real gem. A lot of people complain that bands like Badfinger and Big Star weren't that well known, but here was a friggin great pop band that went almost completely unnoticed and stays that way today! Any Shoes fans around here?
