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Trans Am are loosely associated with the mid-'90s post-rock scene centered around Tortoise, Ui, Labradford, Windy & Carl, etc., and the Thrill Jockey, Kranky, UHF and Southern labels, among others. Although a vast distance separates Trans Am's albums, all of them are concerned with an extreme, somewhat humorous reorientation of the clichés and conventions of rock music, primarily through either technical (exaggerated displays of skill) or instrumental (electronics, effects) deviation. Read more on Last.fm
I have no context for Trans Am, but what I’ve read leads me to believe I’m supposed to take them with a wink – and if that’s the case, I like this record a lot less than I did on its face. Sure, it has some absurd, parodic-feeling moments (“K Street,” the obvious Metallica send-up of “Backlash”), but it’s incredibly good when there’s no obvious ironic distance. “Night Shift” and “Ice Fortress” recall Teeth of the Sea’s or even Neu!’s more straight-ahead hypnotic moments, and that’s enough to keep me coming back, for better or weirder. Rounding a solid 3.5 up to 4 here, giving repeat listens the benefit of the doubt.