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Features - Hear it First
Autodrone Hear it First by Will Joines | November 5th, 2007
 When I made my sojourn from Babylon (read: Los Angeles) to the worn streets of NYC I was excited about all the great music to explore and discover throughout this great city. I’ve seen what feels like millions of bands, and stumbling upon a band like Autodrone always makes my heart sing and makes it clear what a smart move it was.
Only in NYC can a band be this good, with a unique sound so fully formed and on the verge of releasing an excellent album, Strike A Match, and still not be signed. They have a palette of great songs that swing from dark-tinged, MBV-meets-electro-rock all the way to big, inspiring numbers built on a huge bed of sound. There’s a touch of pop-melodicism sprinkled throughout, but only when it feels necessary: the hooks are there, but they never dominate the tracks.
The record has a big, dramatic swath, yet it’s completely devoid of histrionic posturing and swings from mysterious, brooding tracks to brighter songs with a natural ebb and flow that never feels forced. The album alternates between the charging immediacy of tracks like “Can’t Keep These” with its tearing lead guitar and dance-rock bass rhythm with a selection of churning, ambient guitar tracks. The most successful of these experimental interludes is the alluring “Moth of July” which teases with a mash of beautiful sounds that threaten to coalesce into a firm melody before slipping away into the ether.
The excellent, and undeniable, “Final Days” starts with a mysteriously expectant guitar line before climbing into a stomping march of a chorus complete with vocalist Emily Varlas’ haunting, but commanding voice. The track ultimately grows into a shuddering, noisy finale before collapsing down into a sea of feedback.
As the album moves into its last quarter we’re treated to a pair of songs that appear as a brighter turn after the record’s darker beginnings. “With Arms Raised” and “Of Home” churn into towers of sound lead by the inventive guitar work/sounds of guitarist Jeremy Alisauskas. They’re uplifting but realistic, hopeful yet cautious, and shining examples of some of the best new shoegaze-esque music being created these days.
This is the kind of band and the type of record that keeps me hopeful. The idea that music this strong is out there, under the radar, makes my frequent sojourns out into the city worthwhile. This is a band worth seeking out, worth listening to and most of all, getting excited about.
Strike A Match, their new album will be available circa late November through iTunes and inSound not long after. The moment you hear these songs, you'll realize how ridiculous it is that Autodrone has yet to get signed--though it seems that can hardly last for long.
More on Autodrone:
Official MySpace
PureVolume
Photo by Will Joines
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