Thrill Jockey
2000
Red Line
About This Album
Ranging from stripped-down percussion pieces to menacing electro/Krautrock to nimble, acoustic melodies, Trans Am's sprawling The Red Line encompasses all of the group's previous musical territory and stakes a few new claims. Though "Polizei (Zu Spat)" and "I Want It All," with their swarming synths and processed vocals, could have appeared on the group's earlier albums, the untreated singing on poppy songs like "Play in the Summer," "I'm Coming Down," and "Slow Response" is a first, and a welcome surprise. Mixed in are reflective pieces like "Village in Bubbles" and "Now and Forever," which recall the guitar atmospherics of Trans Am's early days, and minimal, completely electronic tracks such as "Talk You All Tight" and "Lunar Landing."

Best of all is the album's centerpiece, "The Dark Gift," which begins with subtle acoustic guitars, explodes in a sonic maelstrom, and then gallops away on an intricate yet propulsive synth and guitar counterpoint. On paper it might sound self-indulgent, but it anchors The Red Line and condenses its diversity into one piece. Likewise, the final track "Shady Groove" transforms from synth meanderings to a ferocious, sax and drums workout that cuts off abruptly, as if choked by its own momentum.
Track List (try tracks 2,4,7,9,11,13,18,20 and 21)

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