For those unaware, the 2004 debut album by Daryl Palumbo’s (Glassjaw, Color Film) Head Automatica entitled Decadence has now been expanded and remastered as a lovely Deluxe Edition; and includes 8 non-LP bonus tracks!

Head Automatica was formed by Daryl Palumbo of the influential post-hardcore band Glassjaw to explore his other musical interests that didn’t fit into the Glassjaw lane. Palumbo was in the midst of making the second Glassjaw album, Worship And Tribute, when he was introduced to producer Dan “The Automator” Nakamura with the result being Head Automatica’s first album, Decadence, released in 2004.

The album allowed Palumbo with Nakamura (whose production work included Gorillaz, DJ Shadow, and Handsome Boy Modeling School, among others) to dive into diverse genres and artists for inspiration—hip-hop to Frank Zappa to Britpop and beyond.

Decadence appeared on the Billboard 200 and the Top Heatseekers charts and Palumbo formed a group to tour the U.S. alongside bands like The Cure and Interpol. Popaganda, the second Head Automatica album followed in 2006 and was supported by further touring with Taking Back Sunday, Avenged Sevenfold, and Jack’s Mannequin, among others throughout the year and into 2007.

By late 2007, they were working on their still-unissued third album which was completed in 2009. Unfortunately, creative differences with Warner Bros., led to both Head Automatica and Glassjaw parting ways with the label. Though the band toured the U.K. in 2012, it wasn’t until 2023 that the band was active again.

1. At The Speed Of A Yellow Bullet
2. Brooklyn Is Burning
3. Beating Heart Baby
4. Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)
5. King Ceasar
6. The Razor
7. Dance Party Plus (feat. Tim Armstrong)
8. Disco Hades II
9. Solid Gold Telephone
10. Head Automatica Soundsystem
11. I Shot William H. Macy
12. Brooklyn Is Burning (Instrumental) [Bonus Track]
13. Please Please Please (Young Hollywood) (Smitty & Gabriel D. Vine Dub) [Bonus Track]
14. Please Please Please (Young Hollywood) (Smitty & Gabriel D. Vine Remix) [Bonus Track]
15. Candy Warhol [Bonus Track]
16. Beating Heart Baby (El-P Remix) [Bonus Track]
17. Beating Heart Baby (Mr. Mig Remix) [Bonus Track]
18. Beating Heart Baby (DTC Jungle Mix) [Bonus Track]
19. Pulling Mussels (From A Shell) [Bonus Track]

Modern pop music: it’s the bane of the existence of some, and for others, it’s their reason for existing. One thing most of us can probably agree on is that, for the most part, it’s not about intelligence or even talent - it’s about fun. If we appreciate the “who cares if it’s good? It’s fun!” attitude in the rich and beautiful, perhaps it deserves appreciation in others. Indeed, it is that fun, upbeat charisma that is so appealing about Head Automatica.

A collaboration between Daryl Palumbo of Long Island hardcore group Glassjaw and Dan The Automator (responsible for a large portion of the last decade’s best underground beats), Head Automatica is the very definition of a guilty pleasure - just look at the album title.

Decadence is filled with all the things we love about pop music: cheesy, self-indulgent lyrics and beats to which you can demonstrate your sexual prowess via the dance floor (or that will shake your low-riding, pimped out Hyundai, if that’s more your style).

The beginning of the album is the strongest. “At The Speed Of A Yellow Bullet” is decent enough, but it leads into the attention-grabbing “Brooklyn Is Burning.” “Beating Heart Baby” is more annoying than it is catchy, but it jolts you forward into “Please Please Please (Young Hollywood).”

This track, which was apparently titled “Tara Reid Is A Whore” in early demos, is the most aurally pleasing. You will surely find yourself pressing the repeat button often and belting out “please, please, please, please / please, please, please, please / let me anoint the lust inside you.”

Decadence kinda-sorta drops the pace a little after all that. “The Razor” tries to be sexy with a chorus of “your body’s a weapon / and you’re afraid it could get out / a friend of the devil / and you’re afraid it could get out,” but does not come off nearly as erotic as the track before it.

“Dance Party Plus” and “Disco Hades II” are obviously tracks with dancing in mind, and in that vein, they succeed. “Solid Gold Telephone” picks the atmosphere up a bit, but it is quickly overshadowed by “Head Automatica Sound System,” a song that proves that a band using their own name in a song title is not always the best idea.

Now Decadence has been expanded and remastered with reimagined artwork to boot! Boasting eight bonus tracks and new liner notes from Jason Pettigrew, Decadence re-emerges from the early ’00s in Deluxe Edition form and better than ever!

Official Purchase Page