Trans Am
Trans Am

Trans Am is the debut album of the group that carries the same name.

We all know how it went, after the Grunge rage, or in any case Noise, exhausted by continuous explosions (or implosions) of adrenaline in raw noise format, there was, in the music proposed by artists of the Alternative Rock world, a retreat towards a more tranquil and intimate dimension, where volume and distortion were replaced by intricate musical patterns. This is what was defined as Post Rock, a genre heavily influenced by 1970s German rock, Krautrock, particularly by Neu!.

Trans Am comes from this musical climate, not surprisingly this album was recorded by John McEntire of Tortoise.

However, in Post Rock, Trans Am is not one of the most representative groups, preferring to draw extensively from styles of different eras, and this album is an excellent example of that. This eclecticism, however, is itself an element of Post Rock, in which the conscious, virtuous, polished revival of disparate themes is an integral part of an intellectual game, a game that indeed allows keeping at bay the emotional explosions (or implosions) characterizing music from the years just before, thanks to an effort of self-control and detachment.

Trans Am is first and foremost a power trio and thus the music, although reflecting a certain technical virtuosity, remains minimalistic and essential, always reduced to the bare minimum necessary to achieve the purpose or realize the musical idea. And in this, all things considered, Trans Am reveals a Punk attitude, although their music is at times so far from it. Thus many songs remain based on the drumming of Sebastian Tompson, the bass of Nathan Means, the guitar of Philipp Manley. Occasionally, the string instruments are replaced by keyboards, always aimed at creating a well-defined musical track, never just as a sound backdrop or filler.

Trans Am introduces themselves with the opening march "Balbados", characterized by the group's typical approach, which is to base the pieces on the percussive backdrop of the drums, using the bass and guitar almost only to embellish the rich supporting structure crafted by one of the best Rock drummers in the twenty years following their debut.

This is followed by atmospheric tracks ("Enforcer", "Technology Corridor"), sometimes based on subtle variations of a simple musical tone ("Prowler"), interspersed with pieces built on syncopated rhythms and dissonant chords ("Trans Am") or electrifying gallops ("Orlando"), until touching on the Progressive genre in the final track ("American Kooter").