Autolux

Transit Transit

(TBD)

Record Review by Alexis Roberts

After an agonizing and suspenseful interim period between albums (six years), Future Perfect was all we knew of Autolux, beyond a handful of collaborative efforts with the likes of UNKLE as well as a single, "Audience No. 2," which was released in 2008 via their website.  They held us captive over the course of this era in which the state of the band became questionable, while continuing to play shows and giving cryptic updates about what was taking so long for Transit Transit to be released. We will probably never really know why there was an epic wait for this album.

Fast forward to August 2010 and that brings us to Transit Transit, which is swell; it’s easy to listen to, it has some really beautiful moments that a more snobby writer would describe as “sonic,” and it’s not always lucid which has been part of the charm of Autolux.  Their ability to make songs that sometimes feel like an endless drift but still have so much intentionality is something very special that they have going for them. If this was the first I had ever heard of them, I’d have probably fallen head over heels in love; however, the album in its totality exudes a certain insecurity which manifests itself as 10 songs that sound too similar to Future Perfect, which seems fishy when there was a six year window in which some level of growth could have occurred.  The only way they have changed is that now all three of them sing and have mysteriously achieved the ability to sound abnormally similar.

I guess we can call it the sophomore slump or a failure to launch. The tone and pace of this album is exactly the same as Future Perfect , which is so disappointing when you wait for such a long time expecting something that will blow you away. With each generation of trying to reproduce your initial success, you begin to lose something. It’s like looking at a photograph of a photograph.  Although this may have left something to be desired, it is still above average and has songs that redeem their reputation.  The standout tracks are "Supertoys," "Kissproof," and "The Science of Imaginary Solutions." I’d still recommend this to anyone, these is just a small part of me that feels let down.