Metro Pulse/Music/Trans Am

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What:
Trans Am with Fangs

When:
Tuesday, March 16, 9pm

Where:
Pilot Light

Cost:
$10

Trans Am serves up politics with its cinematic sound on Liberation

by John Sewell

In today’s post-everything rock scene, sometimes the ultimate meaning can be no meaning whatsoever—or at least little meaning. Many of the current indie rockers create their own auras of cool by presenting themselves as meaningless poseurs. I mean, hey, isn’t admitting you’re nothing but veneer about as deep as it can possibly get?

Washington, D.C.’s Trans Am doesn’t exactly fall into the aforementioned category; but they’ve made a name for themselves by creating meandering sonic explorations that somehow conjure up images of high-speed chases through space, kung fu battles between laser-powered robots, or any number of fast-paced, science fiction vignettes.

The band has released a spate of exceedingly rockin’, mostly instrumental albums that are ideal for long, fast, cross-country road trips or any kind of high impact exercise. And yes, their albums have all been high art, in a fast-paced, user-friendly kind of way. Masters of kinetic sound, Trans Am’s albums evoke cinematic daydreaming, but it’s always been kind of hard to pin down exactly what they were getting at—other than cool sound for cool sound’s sake.

So it was a bit of a surprise that their newest opus, Liberation (Thrill Jockey Records), was so easy to decipher. Ahem, liberated (sorry, folks) from their previously opaque mysteriousness, the group has presented a downright angry, scathing indictment of the American government, the war on Iraq, and, more pointedly, on the proverbial emperor with no clothes none other than Dubya himself.

“I wish there was more rebellion, and we’re trying to provoke that, I guess,” says Trans Am drummer Phil Manley. “We want to open people’s eyes to what’s going on. I don’t know, you might say we’re trying to light a flame under people’s asses. That’s kind of always been one of the big responsibilities of independent musicians: to provoke dissent, or at least discussion of what’s really going on in the world.”

In conversation, Manly certainly seems sure of himself. The outspoken drummer and longtime vegan joins his compatriots in Trans Am in creating a truly interesting politicized record. Unlike the weepy “Blowin’ In The Wind” sentiments of ’60s folkies or the cookie cutter, Anti-Reagan tantrums of each and every early ’80s hardcore band, Trans Am offers a high-tech, varied and truly amazing sound. So, even though their oeuvre has become protest music, you needn’t expect the usual. Instead, the group serves up a multi-media installation of solid rock, if you will. Liberation is both enlightening and entertaining, provided your political perspective is lopsided to the far left.

“We’re all from Washington, D.C., and we were seeing what was going on every day,” Manley explains. “It’s nothing like we made a conscious decision to make an overtly political record. But while we were working on the record, every day we’d come to the studio, read the newspaper, and think about all the insanity that was going on. We’d have the studio windows and hear the sirens in the street. The new album just reflects where we were at the time. And we couldn’t ignore what was happening right in front of our faces.”

Asked to describe Trans Am’s music to the uninitiated, Manley seems a bit muddled; or more likely just tired of answering that kind of question. “I don’t know, I guess I’d call it instrumental space rock or maybe futuristic music.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to pin down what we’re saying on the album,” the drummer continues. “I think the best approach is to just listen to the album. Sorry, I’m just a little bit foggy today. I think that maybe, in our way, we’re just trying to raise people’s awareness. We’re not trying to tell people what to do, other than to think about things. We’re not promoting a particular party or a particular plan.”

Asked if he had a candidate in mind for the upcoming election, Manley changed his tune. “I definitely know who I’m not siding with, and that’s Bush. I think I’ll be supporting the Green Party.

“I’m from DC, and I know Kerry will get the vote here,” Manley continues. “So the ‘lesser of two evils’ idea doesn’t really apply in my case.

“Kerry is a pro-war guy, he went to Yale, and he’s really part of the machine. He’d certainly be better than Bush, but he’s cut from the same cloth.”