In post-rock terms it almost constitutes a sell-out. On their sixth record, Trans Am have decided to start singing. In the stern confines of their Washington DC home, that might constitute compromise, but while 'Red Line' constitutes their most accessible statement so far, the odds on it becoming the next Moby style left-field, crossover success are infinitessimaly tiny.
Hundreds of miles away from the Chicago hub of American experimental music,'Red Line' shows Trans Am continuing to live in musical isolation, burying themselves behind unremitting, hammering percussion and occasionally leaping from the shadows with a scrap of melody or a mildly incongruous Ted Nugent style guitar solo.
The occasional vocals are not the only break with tradition. The expansive 'The Dark Gift' with its acoustic finger picking toys with the idea of tunefulness before getting bored and evolving into bonkers, Hawkwind-esque space-prog halfway through. 'I Want It All', meanwhile is almost electro-pop.
However, Trans Am's greatest strength still lies in their love
of massive, merciless rhythms
and on 'Slow Response' and the frantic 'Ragged Agenda' they goose-step purposefully onto
the hitherto unknown slip road
that links minimalist post-rock to Black Sabbath.
It's an enormous record and
at 70 minutes long, it inevitably rambles like billy-o, but
'Red Line' is a fierce statement
of uncompromising creativity.
They Trans Am what they Trans Am and what they Trans Am
needs no excuses.
Jim Wirth
NEW! For the latest music videos and backstage interviews, check out our brand new sister site, NME Video.
Comments do not always reflect the views of NME, or IPC Media, for guidelines visit our Ts & Cs page