Trans Am walks the same line between substance and style that its namesake car model did in its heyday. Often considered the leading light of the ’90s post-rock scene, the Maryland-based trio switches between big, loud rawk riffing and spacey, experimental ambience, sometimes within the same song. Trans Am gleans imagery and sounds from the synth- and vocoder-heavy music of decades past, but also informs its songs with a detached, millennial indie attitude. The group shifts gears from album to album, and this intellectual restlessness continues with the atmospheric, trippy Thing (Thrill Jockey). The LP should appeal both to new-school stoner-metal fans and the hippie oldheads at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, where Trans Am will be playing a free show on August 18. Nathan Means will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with the band.
Means: Stephen McBean, the singer in band Pink Mountaintops and Black Mountain, and Josh Johannpeter, the current drummer in deep trio Lazer Crystal, share a remarkable physical similarity: their looks! Are there secrets deep in their past? Josh wouldn’t discuss the situation (neither was he asked). Have they ever used their near identical appearance to play jokes on unsuspecting bandmates or girlfriends? Stephen didn’t contact us to comment, nor did he remark on whether he had ever pissed all over a stage hoping that Josh would accidentally be banned for life. But as long as these two going on sharing look-alike hairstyles, eyes, mouths and chins, questions will remain.
Videos after the jump.
http://vimeo.com/7318343
