Trans Am - Red Line

I mentioned Trans Am in my previous post on The Mars Volta and it re-kindled my appreciation for this band. I went looking through my old CD collection that has long since been ransacked by friends, neighbors, pets and myself, to see if I could find something from my Trans Am phase. The jewel case for Liberation was there with no CD in it, Futureworld was nowhere to be found, and then I came across Red Line, ripped it, and have been listening to it constantly since.

It kicks off with a slick drum roll and leads us into a drum filled, synth-y mess that sounds like the soundtrack to a British bank heist film. Basically this whole album could accompany any movie with Jason Statham in it. Sebastian Thomson is a master at keeping momentum going whether he's showing off with awesome rolls and grooves (like on I Want it All) or keeping things minimal (as in Polizei (Zu Spat)). This is what happened when the path Kraftwerk and Devo were on meshed with balls out rock and roll. You can dance to it, but you should probably make sure you don't look like an idiot first.

There is such a high percentage of cool shit Thomson plays that I'm surprised I went looking for Futureworld first. Don't Bundle Up has this off time pattern that always sounds like he's going to lose track of where he is, but doesn't, and Slow Response sounds like he's trying out for Nirvana. The Dark Gift is basically Thomspon picking up momentum and making things more confusing as he goes on, like he's walking down a path that just keeps forking. Thomson is also like myself, a Roto-tom enthusiast, and he is a rare example of how when you use Roto-toms properly, you avoid the risky chance that you'll just wind up looking like (and sounding like) a huge wanker.

The night Trans Am came to Halifax I was busy doing this, so I never made it out. Now, I may never get the opportunity to see them again. I could say something amusing, but it actually just makes me sad to think about it.

Audio/Visual Evidence : I Want It All, Play In The Summer