Review: Transplants - Haunted Cities - Page 2

“Gangsters and Thugs” is a tune that will likely always be mentioned alongside any conversation of Transplants, and perhaps for music in general that falls anywhere near the Gangster Camp, on the strength of its chorus:

Gangsters and thugs

Criminals and hugs

Some of my friends sell records

Some of my friends sell drugs

The volume is actually dialed back to a much more relaxed level here, which helps to make this one of the more interesting tracks on the album. An almost corny-sounding blues guitar and organ combo still leave me slightly baffled after a bunch of listens. Which is a good thing, I suppose.

“What I Can’t Describe,” featuring Boo-Ya T.R.I.B.E., is a significant departure from the Transplants’ already eclectic formula, and it misses its mark rather badly. A 70s-drenched R&B vibe just doesn’t mesh all that well with Rob Aston’s hardcore punk and angry white guy sensibilities.

Quick hit: I have a hard time getting into a song that announces, “Let the funky beat play.”

Thankfully, “Doomsday” follows and, to use one of my favorite descriptions, just about knocks me on my ass. By far the best track on the album, it’s a wonderful cocktail of a mixture of hep-cat swing and cooled out punk with serious street cred. It’s music you could imainge hearing in an apocalyptic lizard lounge or the Cool Ass section of town in purgatory. The production work is reminiscent of “Down in Oakland,” off Transplant’s first album. Both songs stay with you and demand repeat listens.

“Killafornia” brings driving guitars and an organ half-lifted from Beastie Boys’ “So What’cha Want?” The great Sen Dog, also of Cypress Hill, stops in here for the tensely vibed party. The song works because the Bad Times and edgy guitar matches well with the loose piano and organ hooks.

Quick hit: Every time I hear the Dog I lament the fact that he didn’t end up with Rage Against the Machine’s remaining members after Zach de la Rocha’s departure.

Article Author: Eric Berlin

Eric Berlin is the publisher of Online Media Cultist. He's also prone to referring to himself in the third person in author bios in an attempt to make it look like someone Less Important wrote it for him.
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