Autolux Show

I had the privilege of traveling to DC to check out one of my favorite bands live at The Black Cat. That band would be the infamous Autolux. As you can tell from previous posts I'm not really into lengthy posts/reviews so here are some quick thoughts from the show followed by some crappy iphone pics.

This was definitely a complete show. All of the groups represented were really great in their own right and the first band, Mini Mansions, was no exception. They played for like 15 people, but rocked out like they were playing for 1500. They have their own brand of pop music that reminds me of a mix between Spoon and Field Music. Pitch perfect vocal harmony's float over piano, bass, sometimes guitar and an interesting stand-up drum setup. Fun music, great opener.

http://www.myspace.com/minimansionsmusic

The second act, Sleepy Sun, came out to chuckles from the crowd due to their obvious 70's era cloning. The lead singer in particular had the large collared, patterned button up shirt, with long curly hair and a burly mustache. He looked like he was straight out of Will Ferril's Anchorman, and I think our expectations for their music hit rock bottom at that point. Boy did this 5 piece prove us wrong! They were 70's, but they rocked! They played some of the tightest hard hitting psychedelic rock I have ever heard. The vocals were split between Mr. 70's and a cute as a button little girl who had big beautiful pipes. They just had an amazing time on stage and their energy, including some of the greatest goofy dance moves by cutie-pie girl, bled into the crowd. Memorable.

http://www.myspace.com/sleepysun

By now it was a full house and it was time to wait for an unbearably long time for Autolux to grace the stage. When they finally did they proved to be everything you expect from these wall of sound-new sonic youth-gazers. They definitely knew that Carla Azar is a draw on her own placing her dead center in full view, with the other two on opposite corners of the stage. While Autolux's LP's are perfect, they don't quite capture the fuzzy, pounding, just pure loudness of their live performance. The guitars were layered into oblivion, and the bass so dirty that your ears want to run and hide. I can say enough good things about Carla's drumming expertise. Some of the most creative back beats I've ever heard, and man does she play hard. They did unveil a few new tunes, and let me say that if those few songs are any indication of what awaits me when their new LP drops, I'm going to crap my pants.

http://www.myspace.com/autolux