By Christopher David<\/p>\n
For every band that gets waves of people to throw their hands in the festival air, there is, thankfully, a band that brings a wholly unique sonic world to the stage and forces you into it. At Lollapalooza 2016, that band was Autolux, who are currently riding a wave of renewed interest after releasing their first album in six years this past April, the stunning Pussy\u2019s Dead.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Granted, if you really want to see this band in their true element, you\u2019ll see them at night, in a club, with their schizophrenic computerized light show in full effect alongside the bombast of their sound, three people that sound like ten. Even still, in the overcast afternoon light of Grant Park, the robotic assault of new songs like \u201cListen to the Order\u201d and \u201cBrainwasher\u201d (alongside classics like \u201cTurnstile Blues\u201d and \u201cSubzero Fun\u201d from their shoegaze masterpiece, 2005\u2019s Future Perfect <\/em>) translated well. Think OK Computer<\/em> filtered through the fuzz of My Bloody Valentine and you\u2019re almost there, though it isn\u2019t totally fair to compare Autolux to other bands, and they bear little to no resemblance to guitarist\/vocalist Greg Edwards\u2019 \u2018other\u2019 band, Failure, though the space-aged themes and crushing layers of guitar-on-synth are ever-present.<\/p>\n For as integral as Edwards and bassist\/vocalist Eugene Goreshter are to the overall attack, Carla Azar is arguably the most under recognized drummer in rock at the moment, and though Pussy\u2019s Dead<\/em> features a bit more electronic percussion than their previous two releases, it\u2019s clear how important drums are in maintaining the backbone of Autolux\u2019s often frantic, bizarre sonic textures. Standing atop her drum stool for the pulse of Pussy\u2019s<\/em> unlikely single, \u201cSoft Scene\u201d in a white, patterned smock like Lana del Rey\u2019s older, sci-fi sister, Azar transcended the usual drummer role, instead taking a front-and-center position in driving the band\u2019s sound.<\/p>\n From a setlist standpoint, Autolux didn\u2019t play it safe. New songs \u201cJunk for Code\u201d and \u201cHamster Suite\u201d were slow, unlikely selections for a mid-day festival set where heavier hitters like fan favorite \u201cSugarless\u201d or \u201cSupertoys\u201d from 2010\u2019s Transit Transit<\/em> would have been a welcome addition, but one doesn\u2019t get the sense that Autolux are playing for<\/em> anyone but themselves. Unlike so many other festival bands, they expect you to come to them and be hypnotized by their special brand of space-rock without getting in their own way. And that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n