An Automotive

An Automotive's debut breaks the cardinal rule of putting out a record. Despite the numerous gems that could have led things off, the band foolishly chose a meandering electro-pop song as the disk's first track. It's common knowledge that one should always put their best foot forward, and yet AA seems to have forgotten that most people will turn a record off if that first song doesn't catch them right away. It's a real shame too. The remainder is much more tolerable - good even - but the grating vocals and generic synth fills of "All Flint and Steel, But No Spark" doesn't leave much desire to forge ahead. As the disc unfolds, the band proves a more worthy complement to their Chicago contemporaries (founding member Erik Bocek also did time in Joan of Arc and Ghosts & Vodka, among others), but they'll be lucky if anybody cares to listen long enough to figure that out.