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TyronneAutodrone - "Panic EP"
December 1st 2006 03:09
Dance-punk, like its 70s punk fathers, doesn't require a huge amount of talent. In fact, as long as you can pick up and instrument and pretend you're rocking out, that's pretty much all you need. It's not totally surprising, then, that Autodrone are not the most talented band in the world. What separates them from everyone else, then, is not their musical talent, but rather their raw sound... oh, and a singer who can go from whisper to ear-splitting screaming in an instant.
The band's recently released Panic EP is only further proof of that. The title track begins with nothing more than a simple two-chord progression, a soft but abrupt crescendo toward the chorus. Frontwoman and vocalist Rachel Luria follows the crescendo immaculately, beginning with a sweet but raw whisper, with a 90s pop sensibility to it. Then she breaks into the chorus, belting out the lyrics at full volume and full strength as if her life depended on it. Mix that with a slightly catchy melody and danceable beat, and you have a potent combination.
Unfortunately, the rest of the EP doesn't live up to the same standard set by the first track. Second track "Bend Me" exhibits more of the synthesiser, and is alot more reminiscent of current dance-punk as heralded by the Rapture. While a half-decent song, the continuing two-chord progression almost points too much to the idea that they can't play their instruments well, taking away from Luria's vocals to an extent. "Autumn" is the classic hallmark of a band who can't write slow songs, a rather monotonal and uninspiring track which audiences are sure to skip.
"Forward Fever" returns to the same powerpop styling of "Panic," with a little more edge. While Luria's vocals are genius on same tracks, her voice simply doesn't meld with others, and as a result can become quite grating on the ears after a while. Thankfully, "Between Walls" is not one of them, a song that begins almost like Bloc Party's "Helicopter," but quickly moves into Autodrone's unique style, dance-punk mixed with the familiarity of 90s Brit-pop.
"For Nao" sounds almost like a Switchfoot song, and considering the amount of melody it contains relative to the other songs on the EP, it almost could be. While not genius, it rounds off the EP nicely. Whereas previous tracks saw a rather one-track mindset in terms of guitar and bass interaction, this song sees alot more experimentation from the guitar, a required element in order for the song to last its three and a half minutes without boring listeners.
Autodrone show all the hallmarks of a band still searching for that genre in which they feel the most comfortable. While dance-punk is definitely in their target, the cross-influence of 90s pop and indie-rock are apparent, leading to some confusion and poor songwriting as a result. There are definitely some standout tracks on the EP, the title track where they shine the most, but there is still a little while before they are able to properly meld together in order to make a full-length album.
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