Catalogue no. ZIPJMMCD005
Release date: 26/01/2009
Format: Digital, CD
Track Listing:
01. Politicians
02. Weekend
03. Amazing
04. Runaway Train
05. Кристалл
06. Sleepwalker
07. Don’t Break The Spell
08. Watery Grave
09. Election Singer
10. Ferris Wheel
Rock Pulse Music Zine – 8/10
For those of you who have a craving for something electro but demand it have some credibility, this delightfully Devo-ish trio should be on your ‘to buy’ list. ‘Who Do You Think You are Kidding?’ is an album full of varied tones, although political disdain is a recurring subject, but worry not, unlike artists such as SOAD and RATM, political opinions will not be forced down your throat (or into your ears).
I find it hard to compare this band to another as I’m not aficionado of electro music. You won’t find any similarities to Nine Inch Nails or Ministry, ‘WDYTYAK?’ may have some slightly bitter and at times depressing moments, but ‘pissed’ off is not a term I’d use to describe the album.
Within each track you might be able to find some identical features to bands that wouldn’t normally be tied in with the electro genre. The closing track, ‘Ferris Wheel’, is perhaps the most intimate track on the album, and it has more in common with Radiohead than it does with Kraftwerk.
Make no mistake; this isn’t a generic soulless electro record, emotion flows from all ten tracks. Also, please for the love of Christ; don’t associate this with anything by Hot Chip or other electro/dance artists. Some of the songs may be catchy, but being catchy isn’t the point of this album. There are points being made here, listen; don’t dance.
Stand out tracks: Politicians, Election Singer and track 5 (my keyboard won’t permit me to type the name as it’s in Russian).
Stereokill – 4/5
South coast electropunks Autons occupy a slightly dangerous musical grey-area. Soon-to-be-released second album Who Do You Think You Are Kidding? is an odd fusion of several genres, a running battle between guitars and synthesizers. As you might guess from a certain past editorial, I have little time for the ‘nu-rave’ movement, and Autons tread perilously close to that damning description. So, the odds were probably against me actually enjoying this album. But, in a strange sort of way, I couldn’t help myself.
I’ll be brutally honest – it doesn’t start particularly well. Open track “Politicians” is hamstrung by weak songwriting and a not particularly memorable riff, and overall ends up sounding fairly generic. Fortunately, it doesn’t set the tone for the whole album: from then onwards, it gets a lot better.
This feels like an album that shouldn’t been taken too seriously. There’s no sense trying to dissect it in a vainglorious search for some deeper meaning. Lacking the pretentious faux-surrealism that basically ruined a lot of recent electro-rock bands, it’s an instantly likeable record. I can’t remember the last album that made me want to dance (that’s a lie, really – it was The Postal Service’s LP), but Who Do You Think You Are Kidding? succeeds. It’s electropop being done the best it has for years, and it sounds fantastic. From the space-age glory of “Weekend” and “Amazing” to the odd Radiohead-meets-Death Cab vibe of “Don’t Break the Spell”, it’s an addictive listen. This is definitely a slow-burner – the first listen didn’t really do it for me – but it’s worth the effort.
Who Do You Think You Are Kidding? has its fair share of ups and downs – but then, what album doesn’t? This isn’t music to ponder the great mysteries of the universe to: it’s fun to listen to, and at its heart there are some simply excellent tunes.
subba-cultcha.com – 3.5/5
The Strokes’ ‘First Impressions Of Earth’, Franz Ferdinand’s second effort, ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’, Blur’s ‘Leisure’… what’s the uniting factor between these otherwise fairly disparate releases? Impressive album sales? Probably. Cross-over influences? Maybe. But more so than that, all three follow the same disheartening formula: although none can exactly be called ‘bad’ albums, far from it in fact, they all throw the killer singles or standout tracks at you within the first ten minutes. ‘You Only Live Once’ and ‘Juicebox’, ‘The Fallen’ and ‘Do You Want To’, ‘There’s No Other Way’ and ‘She’s So High’: easily the best songs on their relative albums but given away at the first hurdle. It’s obvious why bands choose to take this tactic and i’m not saying its an unwise decision to lure people in, but, honestly, when was the last time you listened to any of those albums all the way through? Exactly. Autons, on the other hand, seem to have thought about this and taken almost the reverse option because, with ‘Who Do You Think You Are Kidding?’ it’s almost halfway through before it all suddenly clicks and you realise what this particular three-piece are actually all about.
Until this point, namely track four: ‘Runaway Train’, Autons run the risk of sounding all a little too clean. Their particularly brand of synth-led electropop is one that always treads a dangerous ground between sharpness and soulless overproduction- you aim for Gary Numan and it turns out more Frankie Goes To Hollywood- and whilst openers ‘Politicians’ and ‘Weekend’ make for commercial sounding releases, they lack the slightly dirty, gritty edge needed to set them apart from one of The Feeling’s slightly naughtier moments.
Luckily though this seems to be a momentary blip and once Autons get past the ‘chart friendly singles’ section of the album it all starts to get a bit good. ‘Runaway Train’ is an epic slow burner of a track that lures you into a New Order-esque bubble and then suddenly ropes in a thrashing Muse-like guitar section, while its follower, ‘Crystal’ is a short burst of jagged, riffy perfection in the vein of Switches, but with a whole load more sass. ‘Sleepwalker’ too, with its hand claps and growling guitar hook, is a monster of a tune and only goes to further emphasise that Autons are at their best when they don’t try and buffer everything up too much.
‘Who Do You Think You Are Kidding?’ is almost an album of two halves, such is the drastic difference in sound between the first few tracks (and the oddly placed track eight,’Watery Grave’) and its followers. The sad thing is you get the idea that the direction they’re aiming for lies more in the over-shiny gloss of the first few offerings, when really they seem far more at home when they unwind the screws a little, but who can really tell. For now, stick this on one player and The Strokes on the other and flick halfway through. Perfect.
By: Lisa Wright
17 Seconds – 4/5
Whoomph! It’s only the first week of 2009 and this has arrived, packing a very mighty punch and ready to make you sit up and listen. The Autons’ second album is the sound of a band ready to blow away all the cobwebs of insipid indie rock and show how beats and mighty guitar riffs can comebine together to produce something truly intoxicating.
I’ve been walking around with this on my headphones for the last week or so. It’s something really special Hell, I want to have a party so I can play this record really loud as the soundtrack to it. This record will make you sit up, and make a new year’s resolution to dicsover something very different in 2009.
Dismiss them as another electro-rock band at your peril; with each listen, this release becomes more and more necessary. Tracks like ‘Amazing’ actually…are. ‘Election Singer’ has already been a single; I’m sure there will be others to follow, and if there is any justice, hits.
Chain D.L.K – 4.5/5
What a big surprise! Not easy fill this band, you can think to an electronic Franz Ferdinand version, sometime it reminds to The Strokes and Muse too. Their particularly brand of synth indie-electropop is fresh and great. Brit pop and post-punk guitar band without the usual plagiarism. Great!
Planet Sound 6/10
Labelmates of PS faves The Dawn Chorus, the Portsmouth band have supported Sparks and been produced by Jello Biafra of The Dead Kennedys.
More in line with Sparks’ extreme pop than Biafra, they’re essentially glam urchins but too lo-fi in their production values to capitalise.
The electro sheen doesn’t help either, but there are a clutch of dumb fun singalongs to see them home.
Glasswerk
David, Ray and Tony Auton bring a lively bounce to their electronic indie pop gone crazy. What makes their music work so well is the fact that they make it so effortless. Be this due to being siblings, or just cause they are natural talents at creating what seems like easy music.
While some songs are frantic attacks of the sense, they have time for quieter fare like the ‘Runaway Train.’ The middle of the album is where they do most of their frantic experimenting. Where some tunes push conventions ‘Sleepwalker’ on the other hand walks a more traditional commercial friendly path. And then there is a very Beatles influenced (nice to see a band influenced by these lads for a change) ‘Don’t Break the Spell’. The spiralling ‘Election Singer’ and the majestic ‘Ferris Wheel’ close proceedings leaving you with an almost uneven yet enjoyable listening experience.
There is a definitive split between the types of tracks that build a reputation and those that simply sell records. Pray for the former in the Auton’s future.
From the opening bars of Politiicans, the Autons stink of cautious paranoia and Devo. When the lyrics wail into view, it’s clear that the music may be eerie, but the lyrics are brash, brave and unashamedly forthright. Long, epic and progressive synth powered punk, flanked by lead man David Auton’s bleak, almost desperate vocal chords adding some extra depth as they combine futuristic experimentation with gritty punk.
They’re not afraid to turn up the amps and go for a full on attack. On Amazing, the revelatory vocals, bottom heavy sequenced beats and pounding rhythm show a band rising from a dark period with deep tones and lyrics, my favourite being ‘You’re much better than the crystal meth”.
The band met while auditioning for parts as the Autons in Doctor Who (obviously geeks) and decided – upon not getting the parts – to form a punk reject band. And you can hear their painful angst too, their confused love affair with the spirit of man and machine; somehow though, I think they’re probably better off this way anyway. I hope 2009 is big for these spacey dudes.
The Autons have made an album that tilts at full speed, with lance poised at the heart, towards politicians and the media, making quick reference to romance, night-clubbers, Normandy battlefields of 1944 and even the glorious dead of war memorials. There are a lot of easy targets out there for songwriters to decry and some of these have been attacked many times before, with more vitriol and with a harder edge than Autons are willing to wield, despite their ear for satire.
For the most part, Autons’ “electro punk with soul” lyrics are poetic and wordy, veering a little towards overly earnest and literal, leaving little room for interpretation. The music is fast, frenetic electro-indie-rock that reminds, strangely, of those electro-pop favourites Republica, with a heavy slice of the glory days of Britpop morphed through a synthed and bouncy rock sensibility with many-layered guitars and vocals.
But there is still some tightening needed; this is Autons’ second album and the tracks would have benefitted from some pruning. If some fresh ears had listened to offer fresh perspectives before the tracks were set down on record, there would have been a sharper album to play. There is a bit too much repeating of refrains and the guitars are rambling in places, but it is still an entertaining and listenable album, even if it is not as arresting as it could be. Autons will return, and their next will be better.
Words: David Winstanley