The minute I picked up the new Trans Am album, T/A, I knew that the D.C trio had reinvented themselves yet again. In fact, since they put out their self-titled debut on Thrill Jockey in 1996, Trans Am has metamorphosed more frequently than Madonna in her infamous career as a pop diva. Indeed, none of their albums sounds the same. But this seems to be Trans Am's schtick: Trans Am have an incredible knack for twisting, exaggerating, and making fun of music trends to no end. And they spare no genre. To get a glimpse of their brand of humor, check out the personnel page of the website for National Recording Studio, with which all three band members (Philip Manley, Nathan Means, & Sebastian Thomson) play a role. The liner notes credit Jonathan Kreinek, the first name listed at the NRS site, with recording T/A.
Opening up the album sleeve, you see the three jokers in one photo dressed in all white: Thomson in a top hat; Manley in his white fully unbuttoned button-down shirt, modest chest hair exposed; and Means looking like he just popped off the set of LL Cool J's video for I'm Bad. Just out of a scene from Miami Vice or a bad knockoff on the USA Network, the three pose in front of a gleaming sunset on the beach — deadpan looks and surrounded by a sleek cherubic glow. In another pic, Manley's shirtless with a fatty gold chain circa-Run-DMC's You Be Illin' around his neck and Means is sporting a white headband that would make Jimmy Connors blush. A spot-eyed bulldog that reminds me of Spuds McKenzie is also perched atop a pedestal in the corner of the picture. These images set the stage for my expectations.
The album tees off with two ass-kicking stomps equivalent to the best tracks (I Want it All, Play in the Summer) off their most accomplished (and previous) album, Red Line. Cold War kicks it off with an arpeggiated keyboard bassline and pulsating kick drum that leads into a lingering distorted key line coupled initially with a standard rock beat. In a feat of superb production, Manley's haunting verses hover ominously over the Peter-Hook-like bassline and the über-kraut lead keyboards. Perfect also is the dark vocoder chorus chants of "It's automatic/it's symptomatic" and the ensuing the-party's-just-startin' bridge complete with pounding bass and the sounding of an urgent siren.
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.
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments