In the glow of Machines

John McCain may have tried to mock Barack Obama for voting to fund a projector for a planetarium, but the New York-based space-rockers Secret Machines are firmly in the tank for light shows. Their new self-titled album is a reverb-heavy head trip all its own, but for the tour, which hits the Key Club on Thursday, they’re setting their lasers to “dazzle.”

The stage setup was created by light artist and set designer Es Devlin, who had previously plotted Kanye West’s stage for his “Touch the Sky” tour, Sally Potter’s film version of “Carmen” and Philip Glass’ opera “Orphee.” As it turns out, she’s a Secret Machines fan and was happy to work with the band’s skimpy budget. “The visual elements are a direct instinctive response to the qualities of the music,” Devlin said. Translation: Your brain’s pleasure centers may get absolutely fried.

August Brown

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latimes.com/popandhiss

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