Three years after the release of their critically acclaimed self-titled album, The Autumns are back with Fake Noise From A Box Of Toys – their fourth full-length. Fake Noise continues along the well-trodden path of shoegazey dream-pop, with a bit of experimentation thrown in for good measure, some of which works well, some of which simply falls flat.
The album blasts off to a promising start with the 50-second-long anthemic wall of noise “Turning Strangers Into Friends”, with its big guitars and Matthew Kelly’s forceful vocals. The album’s first single “Boys” follows; it’s a solid enough tune with its driving bass-line and strong vocals turning to falsetto. “Clem” is the first real example of the experimental turn The Autumns’ have taken; you start to notice unconventional drumbeats, tempo changes and twinkling piano vying for attention with heavy guitars. The odd combination of sounds and multi-layered vocals continue in “The Midnight Knock” and “Killer In Drag”. The musical experimentation has been working well, succeeding in creating new sounds, but by the time the relatively boring “Night Music” rolls around Kelly’s falsetto has become quite tiresome.
The second half of the album brings more unexpected tempo changes, more guitar effects, yet thankfully less falsetto. “Uncle Slim” is the closest Fake Noise ever comes to a standout track. It’s catchy and actually has some nice hooks, opening with a lovely intertwining of drums and piano, leading to Kelly’s smooth – non-falsetto – croon, then finally bursting into a wall of fuzzy guitars and a fetching chorus. “Adelaide” gets off to a nice start, poppy and melodic and full of promise. Unfortunately, while it has the potential to be a straightforward dream-pop song (something this album could have sorely used) it’s this track that suffers the most from the noisiness that pervades the album; the distortion has become grating and the drum machine is unnecessary. “Oh My Heart” closes the album much the way it opened, only this time with a six-minute anthem rather than a 50-second one.
There are some nice moments on Fake Noise, but it ultimately suffers from lack of moderation with the effect-laden guitars, drum machines, the oft-utilized tempo changes and again, Kelly’s falsetto. I appreciate The Autumns’ attempt to throw some wrenches into their signature shoegaze sound. However, I feel that the tinkering was overdone, resulting in some degree of redundancy with many of the songs following a similar structure.
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Links
The Autumns [official site] [myspace]
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I still think this band look a little out of place on Bella Union’s rosta…
That’s what I thought too.
thanks rich for the comment which has prompted me to put pen to paper (as it were)..when i set bella union up, i always wanted to achieve something that few independent labels i had initially been interested in, had managed.
to create a roster of music that was as diverse as my own private tastes are. and as bella union is in many ways a reflection of my own private tastes, i will happily take the brickbats that are aimed my way.
i think people make assumptions about the label that if you look at the 150-odd releases, are inaccurate, though understandable.
the misconceptions are
1)that most of the bands are from usa.
they’re not. we have danish, canadian, several australian, swedish, scottish, irish, japanese, french, and english.
2) that bella union has a certain style, part americana, always guitar-based, singer-songwriter based. it doesnt. we have released 2 hip hop albums, 2 classical piano albums, a soundtrack to a hit australian film, a techno dance record, 2 industrial dance records, a series of instrumental music,
the Autumns do not look out of place at all. i have worked with and loved the music of this band since the beginning of their career pretty much. in fact they probably have more in common with the original aesthetic of the label than any other band. i produced a great album of theirs that was beset with usa label problems after we delivered it, they then told me about this amazing live band, Lift to Experience, who i ended up signing thanks to their tip-off, they also recorded a lift to experience song called ‘with the world behind’ before Lift had even finished their own debut!! when we worked together in 2005 with the self-titled album ‘The Autumns’, i was proud and elated that we were able to work together again, as the sensibilities of the band are close to my own, and of the band i was previously in before starting up this label. the thread is most certainly pulling us together, and regardless of any words i may see here and about these parts, that do not reflect my own, my love of this new album is unwavering. I think it’s powerful, it moves me, it rocks like no bella union album has done since Lift to Experience, and the parallels WITH that band, are i feel striking. these are not just riffs for the sake of extending one’s penis, these are emotive (dont even begin to start with me on the ‘emo’ thing…this record crucifies anything remotely in that genre) rushes of sound that flows the blood through my body and demand that my heart will flutter and my mind will follow. certainly my album of 2008 anyhow.
i always love to read your comments though so dont let my ramblings put you off…!
Hi Simon
No worries! It’s always great to hear you talk about the bands on your label.
I’m a huge fan of that Lift To Experience album – it’s an absolute epic.
I think with the recent releases on Bella Union, it just seemed a little out of place, though I couldn’t tell you exactly why! I’ve listened to the album a number of times now and it just doesn’t work for me, but then that’s the fun of music, everyone has different experiences and thoughts when playing it.
Cheers for the comments and pop by any time!
hmm, my album of 2008? what AM i talking about!! of course i meant 2007…