As part of the long build up to the release of Transit Transit, they made available, "Audience No.2", as a 'pay what you will’ track on their website. Soon after, they joined PJ Harvey for a tour of Russia. During this time they also continued to play their own shows, trying out new songs live, and in some cases revisiting the recorded versions to make necessary alterations or, in some cases, total deletions. In the summer of 2009, they collaborated with the painter, Kill Pixie (Mark Whalen) for 'Future Spa', an art exhibition/sound installation in Los Angeles. In more recent months, the band has toured extensively, including an appearance at All Tomorrow's Parties in upstate New York and an opening spot with Thom Yorke's Atoms For Peace.
Now, the much-awaited follow-up, Transit Transit is finally here. It begins no less uniquely than its predecessor, although this time the subtler concussion of rhythm that starts the title track is an announcement of change, and the following mood and vocal-- a metaphysical sorbet. If you have been waiting, somewhat impatiently, for this record, Transit Transit has yielded an unexpected mix of material, but has everything you had hoped for. And if Autolux is a band you are just discovering, here is a deep and profound world of noise and emotion to immerse yourself in.
The band produced Transit Transit themselves with guitarist/vocalist Greg Edwards serving as engineer. The record was recorded - at Space 23, the bands makeshift studio in their rehearsal room near downtown Los Angeles. The title track "Transit Transit" (the last song to be recorded) was started in Denmark by Edwards, using a virtually unplayable upright piano and a sample of a coffin-style freezer found in a nearby basement, and then finished back in Los Angeles. There is a notable sonic progression to Transit Transit: samples, vintage synthesizers, and manipulated ambience glue central song components together. There are a lot more vocal harmonies and piano driven songs, even a bit of trumpet. Vocal duties are shared by all three members throughout the album - their voices strangely similar - but each having a definite emotional character. Bassist/ singer, Eugene Goreshter continues to innovate his bass style, effortlessly modernizing the instrument's melodic role on songs like "Census" and "Supertoys", while still providing an on-edge rawness and groove-filled momentum. Edwards' guitars serve to modulate the moods throughout the record, constantly evoking feelings found in the space between emotions. And Carla Azar's sturdy, creative drumming (a phenomenon to behold on stage) continues on record with plenty of hook beats - ferocious and orchestral, at once.
The majority of the album was mixed by Kennie Takahashi, three of the tracks being mixed by Dave Sardy, and then mastered by Bob Ludwig. Artist Kill Pixie and Carla created the artwork for Transit Transit.
Underorbit
Autolux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and my friends are on their way
gathered by remote control
happy free
throw my arms around the sun
try to burn with anyone
smoke alarms just hum along
happy free
everyone
is helium
choking on clouds
it keeps me down
but i don't mind
if i'm not found
being nice is not enough
you have to twist yourself right up
into carbon copies
happy free
keep the setting sun
you go nowhere
drop into myself
and i'm underorbit
everyone
is helium
choking on clouds
it keeps me down
but i don't mind
if i'm not found
The lyrics to Autolux's song Underorbit are somewhat cryptic but they seem to be alluding to a sense of detachment, introspection and alienation amidst a larger crowd. The opening sentences seem to describe a gathering by a large body of water, perhaps a lake where the singer's friends are on their way, but there's a sense of watching them from a distance, as if through a remote control. The phrase 'happy free' is repeated throughout the song, almost like a mantra, and it seems to suggest a sense of liberation but also an emptiness or hollowness that comes with being detached from others or from oneself. The singer tries to join in the frivolities of the crowd, throwing their arms around the sun, but there's a sense of unfulfilled yearning, as if the experience is not enough, perhaps even suffocating ('smoke alarms just hum along').
The second verse seems to be a commentary on the social pressures to conform and be 'nice' but the singer seems to suggest that this is not enough, that one has to go beyond the surface and 'twist yourself right up / into carbon copies' in order to fit in. The phrase 'happy free' takes on a more ironical tone, suggesting that the price of conformity may be a loss of individuality, creativity and a sense of self-worth. The final phrases 'keep the setting sun / you go nowhere / drop into myself / and i'm underorbit' suggest a sense of withdrawal and isolation. The singer seems to suggest that by turning inward, by dropping into oneself, one can find a sense of peace or stability ('underorbit') but also a sense of being lost or disconnected from others.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a crowd up by the lake
There are many people gathering near the lake
and my friends are on their way
My friends are coming to join the crowd
gathered by remote control
They are brought together by some external or unseen force
happy free
They are content and feeling liberated
throw my arms around the sun
I embrace life and immerse myself in it fully
try to burn with anyone
I attempt to connect with others on a deep and passionate level
smoke alarms just hum along
The chaos of life continues around me, but I remain calm and peaceful
happy free
I am still content and feeling liberated despite the chaos
everyone
All people
is helium
People are light and fleeting, like helium
choking on clouds
People are overwhelmed and lost in their pursuits
it keeps me down
The overwhelming nature of life weighs heavily on me
but i don't mind
I am willing to endure this weight and keep going
if i'm not found
I am content with being overlooked or unnoticed
being nice is not enough
Simply being kind is not sufficient to truly connect with others
you have to twist yourself right up
You must be willing to change yourself to truly connect with others
into carbon copies
In an attempt to connect, people often mimic or become just like those they seek to connect with
happy free
Despite this, people continue to feel content and liberated
keep the setting sun
Hold onto the fleeting moments of happiness and joy
you go nowhere
Fleeting moments of happiness do not lead to long-term fulfillment
drop into myself
I turn my focus inward and seek to find fulfillment from within
and i'm underorbit
I am in my own little world, orbiting around my own inner fulfillment
Contributed by Brayden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@AmoaYuriyMonika
Autolux...
My god, they're so good...
@Momiyama808
i lost my copy of this not too long ago, and this is one of my favorites. i'm so glad u put this up. i found the video when i had this song stuck in my head and wanting to hear it. yay for interwebs
@mywhychromosome
I'm sad they never rediscovered/recorded this song, it's one of my favorites...although I wouldn't change it, so I guess all is well. "Happy free", yeah. Wrap my arms around the sun. Try to burn with anyone
@sleepassist5745
Hopefully some day. But yeah, this track is so good.
@brandyjackson3875
@sleep assist 1111l)ll111l1llllll111111¹¹¹1lllpolo8lij
@kelzypoo
@MarconisRadio Autolux is still good.
@fuckboy6651
hung out with the drummer last night in huntsville alabama
@Rob-jg8gh
fuckboy6651 I’ve actually chilled with everyone BUT Carla. She seemed somewhat unapproachable, or maybe just preoccupied. But in the niche genre in which autolux resides, her being as pretty, intelligent, and talented as she is I can understand her reluctance to mingle with unfamiliar people within her fan base. I expected nothing of her and politely asked for her signature on the copy of the Transit Transit LP I had just picked up at the merch booth, for I intended to, and succeeded in my endeavor to obtain all three signatures. She was closest to the booth as she was chilling with their art designer, the guy they worked with before Densworth, who is equally talented and approachable. She retrieved a silver Sharpie (which was perfect against the black reverse side of the album), signed it along with a quick doodle, and gave me the Sharpie to keep; all without looking away from their artist, or pausing her conversation. Which sounds rude, however I found it commendable as she managed to do all of those things simultaneously while still coming across as an amiable albeit preoccupied person. I quickly expressed my gratitude and apologized for the intrusion, she responded with a broad smile and a nod. They’re all distinctly unique from one another, and it’s just that which gives them such a wonderful dynamic. But definitely all very cool each in their own way. However, I held a conversation with Greg (guitarist, and I believe he writes the bulk of the lyrics) for some duration, and his personality seems to personify the thematic tone of the band most of all. Not withdrawn, but when I told Eugene I was hoping to get all three of their signatures he had to go fetch him from a room in the back. I tried to tell him not to bother if he was unavailable, but I’d already explained that this was a special occasion; an old friend of mine had bought the tickets for my birthday, then drove almost two hours to pick me up, and another five hours to get to the show in Lawrence KS. Needless to say, Eugene (who spoke with an unexpected West Coast, Southern California accent and was much to my chagrin remarkably extroverted) insisted most relentlessly. Eugene darted to the back of the venue and had returned in under a minute, informed me that Greg would be out as soon as he could. I shook his hand and thanked him profusely for not only his time and kindness, not to mention the signature and the fantastic performance they gave that night, but for going out of his way to talk to Greg. My friend and ride had disappeared just a moment prior in an attempt to locate a place to shit in Lawrence after midnight, and was gone for some time as I believe in the end he was left with no choice but to resort to spray painting the back wall of a closed gas station, so I wound up awkwardly hanging about a bar which was already closed and attempting to roust everyone out. But just as I was about to call it, and head outside to wait for poor old Dave, Greg just sort of... materialized in front of me. As I said, he’s not withdrawn, awkward, or pretentious. He’s just pleasantly soft spoken, and maintains an unassuming, and gentle demeanor. He couldn’t possibly have been any different from Eugene, although taller. He was precisely my height, and I’m only 5’9”, which is short for down here in the midwest. But he was extraordinarily easy to talk to, and seemed to have a great deal of appreciation for his fan base. I wanted him to know how much their music, with the themes of depersonalization and the absence of feeling had helped me a great deal through more than a few traumatic experiences I’d lived through since discovering them some years before then, but only touched on the subject lightly as to avoid coming across awkwardly forward. I was a bit drunk, which I’m sure was obvious, but he gave me the inclination that he knew what I wanted to say, and could appreciate it, and probably appreciated the restraint I had mustered up to approach that tangent of the conversation with polite brevity. But we talked until I could tell my ride was itching to GTFO, and we parted ways. I’ll always remember that exchange. Greg is a cool fucking guy.
@YoussefAbouzeid
does anyone know what fuzz/distortion pedals is Eugene using?
@TheRealMountainDewRock
I’ve been lookin for this for years on end