The Science Of Dreams

Considering the fact that Autolux released a debut album that made Trent Reznor, Thom Yorke, PJ Harvey and Flaming Lips become their fans, you might say that they have a more than decent CV. However, Future Perfect is six years old (yes, they too are one of those bands that seem to enjoy torturing fans) and no matter how wonderful one release might be, at a certain point you'll need something new. Which they did in 2008, with Audience No 2, a piece of dreamy vocals and an annoyingly complex and beautiful drum line, that served mostly to make you crave for more. And now they are back, this time with the whole pie. Ladies and gentlemen... here it is. Transit Transit.

If someone would want to express the strange universe of human dreams in a film, then probably Autolux would be a serious candidate for the soundtrack. Their music is chill and still you can feel a certain vibe of insecurity, the idea that someone could follow you and attack you when you expect less. The title track is a good example: the ethereal vocals and piano make you feel at ease but the drums in the background keeps you awake the whole song. The feeling is enhanced on Census, due mostly to the disturbing guitar lines, that would make even Sonic Youth to be proud to have this song in their setlist.

High Chair pushes things to the next level. Its instrumental is even more peaceful, so peaceful that at a certain moment you become a little anxious. Feeling that also appears on Spots, while The Bouncing Wall seems to be especially created to drive you nuts with trying to find a way to describe it other than "it has some strangely wonderful electronic sounds". However, they always remain on the edge, never crossing the border that makes the difference between a dream and a nightmare, and this can be seen perfectly on the last song, The Science Of Imaginary Solutions, which appears not only as a summary, but also as a conclusion to the whole album, a mix of powerful drum lines, deep piano sounds and more than wonderful vocals.

Eclectic as they might be, Autolux managed to create a music that satisfies, without being excessively diversified. So yeah, the waiting was worth it. Let's hope now it won't pass other six years until the next album.


*photo courtesy of Autolux's official site