Head Automatica
“Decadence”
(Warner)
Recognized as the throat behind hardcore-band-on-hiatus Glassjaw, Daryl Palumbo IS both the figurehead and the man behind the curtain, carrying Head Automatica’s debut album “Decadence” on his shoulders as both a vocalist and as a musician… and does it well. Fans of Daryl’s previous side project endeavors are well aware that while his first love might be Glassjaw, hip hop and avant-garde dance is his second, which is pretty much why Head Automatica exists at all. With the assistance of Dan “The Automator” Nakamura (best known for his associations with Gorillaz, rapper Del and concept groups like Lovage and Handsome Boy Modeling School) and the drumming of Glassjaw’s only other founding member Larry Gorman, Head Automatica is not angry, not hardcore and not fucking bad, either. “Decadence” combines electronic pop with garage rock into an actual swallowable album; compare this as the disco dance version of acts like Chk Chk Chk or The Faint, although Daryl really says it best: “We’re an electronic cock-rock band”. Some worthy tracks for the virgin listener are “Beating Heart Baby” (their single and definitely one of the best on here), dreamy “Solid Gold Telephone” and the closest song to Glassjaw’s “Worship and Tribute” album, “The Razor”.
