In the first song, Cold War, Trans Am strike a brilliant balance between Thomson's Can/Neu! grooving, Kraftwerky electro-manipulations, and the band's DC punk rock ethic--and this is when they are most successful. Other excellent tracks find a similar equilbrium (e.g., Molecules and Positive People). To be sure, just as with Red Line and any of their first three albums, T/A includes a few post-rock (in the very loosest sense) instrumental meanderings (e.g., Bonn, C Sick and Afternight). These are mostly keyboard- and effects-driven tunes with smooth drum programming by Thomson. There are also songs that seem like they could have been b-sides off of Trans Am's 1999 release and my personal fave of their records, Futureworld; Party Station and Infinite Wavelength are examples. These songs are welcomed, but might be a bit out of place--perhaps that is why we find them shoved on the second side of the album. Finally, there are a few songs that establish this album as distinctive in its own right. Different Kind of Love is sexadelic in sort of a Beck kind of way--surprisingly, it reminds me of a Trans Am remix of one of Beck's more 1980's-sounding tracks, like Get Real Paid off his underrated Midnight Vultures. Consider also T/A's You Will Be There and Feed on Me in which Trans Am does the 80's thing better than most 80's bands did. Again, credit the production for success on this front.

Trans Am regularly puts out some of the best rock in the independent scene. Though this album seems a bit disjointed at times and lacks the cohesiveness of past albums, it is still some of the most inventive (even if considered a pastiche), catchy, and listenable music that your dollars can buy.