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: It’s true that David Copperfield has made more money, but while David Blaine has suffered some internal injuries from his high-profile tricks and stunts, Copperfield accidentally cut off the tip of his finger once. This was the decisive moment. If Copperfield had put his finger tip back on with a spell or something, that would have clinched it for him. Instead, a doctor had to do it, which is pretty lame. Magicians shouldn’t bleed (at least not by accident), and they definitely shouldn’t go to doctors. Doctors are the opposite of magic. They, or their assistants, ask you to fill out lots of forms instead of just reading your mind for your insurance number or whatever they need. And when you ask them questions, they sometimes suggest looking on Google for more information. Again, not magic. You also have to go to a separate pharmacy to get doctors’ drugs and potions. By his stronger association with doctors and medicine, Copperfield left the door wide open for Blaine. Blaine is the most mentally magical.
Video after the jump.
