artist aUTObODiEs

Autobodies make music for the introspective soul who loves getting lost in their headphones and is not afraid of embarking on a journey.  Butterfly Valve, the new album by Autobodies, is a raw and penetrating presentation of Kent Eliuk’s experiences in the chaos of life as he captures the sublime moments that pass most of us by.  It is an honest construction from a man who needs to expose his poetic observations seeped in gripping music that is clearly a labour of love. This is music for the discerning ear and those who love to be challenged by pop music that is unpredictable and full of strong melodies with hooks that resonate in your ear long after the album is over. Ever changing and always evolving, Autobodies is music for your head.
 
Living and recording in the raw, frenetic environment of Toronto’s Bloor and Ossington neighbourhood, Kent Eliuk has compiled a diverse and poignantly challenging collection of songs for the upcoming album Butterfly Valve, to be released Spring 2012. It is evident by the many guest appearances that dot the record that Eliuk embraced the work of others in his community to help shape his vision. Friends from The Wilderness of Manitoba, among others, contributed a variety of layers from backing vocals to slide guitars.
When listening to the album, one is immediately drawn to the expansiveness in sound that Eliuk was able to capture. Vast orchestral arrangements and extreme intimacy dance precariously together in robust harmony through the album’s 10 song run, with moments of poetic chaos and stark beauty playing their respective roles resulting in absolute bliss. 
“Many of these songs came out of feelings of loss, perseverance and renewal”, says Eliuk, “They emerged out of a period when our very lovable cat Starsky was going through surgeries and cancer treatments and wasn't expected to live very long, my wife got pregnant against great odds and my grandmother passed away. These indescribable feelings and thoughts of someone who I’ve grown close to not being there anymore, layered with the responsibility and possibilities of nurturing and experiencing the beginning of a new totally dependent young life, caused lots of chaos and conflicting emotions of opposite extremes.”
Album opener “Imposters” hits like a swaying hammer before transforming into a melodic, psychedelic dream. The second track “Boots, Snow and Stars” again showcases the album’s strong atmospheric qualities, before settling into a straight-up, hook-laden chorus. The final track, and album standout “Where the Wheat Fields Stopped” is nothing short of magnificent. Eliuk’s honest lyrics and expansive soundscape transport the listener back to the northern country road travelled by Eliuk so many times in the past. 
“When I was a child my grandparents lived on a farm in northern Alberta where I would stay with them over the summer holidays. They sold it long ago to people who later abandoned it.  When I went back to revisit the place I was struck by how different it felt in scale. Most buildings still stand, but have been left open and totally empty. I walked up to the old barn that my grandfather built and an owl flew out of an opening on the second floor. When I climbed up to the hay loft where the owl had been I had to be careful not to fall through any holes covered by the remaining hay. I looked down at the grain dust hardened on the floorboards, up at the sunlit wood rafters, and back out over the farm and the surrounding  fields. The only sounds were that of the wind blowing through the big openings. Then I went past the small house where I had so many great times. I had to turn away and leave when I saw the curtains blowing through the broken windows. As strange as it was seeing it as a ruin, after I left I realized that the empty spaces enabled me to experience memories and emotions that were more charged and varied than if the site were occupied. The place was still majestic but fragile and sad in a very haunting, beautiful, mysterious way.”