95%
Transistor Transistor—Ruined Lives (2008)
Details
Recorded and mixed by Kurt Ballow at Godcity Studios, Witchcity from 2 to 12 January 2008. Mastered by Alan Douches at Westwestside in New Windsor, NY on 22 January 2008. Released by Level-Plane Records on 15 April 2008.
Band
- Nat Coghlan—Vocals and guitar
- Garrison Nein—Vocals and bass
- Brad Wallace—Guitar
- James Moller—Drums
Tracks
- Morning sickness
- The price of gasoline
- Brass bones
- Diet of worms
- Pillar of salt
- The ghost hand
- Harvest
- Letter of resignation
- Celluloid rats
- Irreversible
- Teratogen
Review
This appears to be the one and only release from New Hampshire hardcore/grunge band Transistor Transistor.
New Hampshire, New Hampshire, so good they named it twice.
Having been mostly reviewing symphonic and avant-garde black metal bands for the last few weeks this requires a little change of gear. But having established quite firmly a few months back that it no longer takes me by surprise every time I listen to a hardcore album and discover that I like it, it shouldn’t take a detective to hear that this album gets the thumbs up from me, too.
As well as the usual hardcore elements, there is more than a dollop of Bob Mould-inspired alternative/post-punk rock infused in this particular recipe of high energy, shouty-vocaled hard rock.
A few highlights: The cheeky riff in “Brass bones” (track 3).
- The opening riff from “Diet of worms” (track 4) with its slightly acidic phrasing and the full-on chorus. I could probably listen to that all day, to be honest.
- “Pillar of salt” (track 5) is a pounding, plodding behemoth – like the hardcore equivalent of Metallica’s “Sad but true”.
- The complete change of pace in the dirgeful “The ghost hand” (track 6).
- “Harvest” (track 7). All of it. It is epic, uncomfortable, melancholic, angry, relentless and strangely beautiful.
- “Tertogen” (track 11) is a wonderful closer that draws this collection to a fine conclusion.
Conclusion
There are not many albums that make me smile involuntarily while listening to them on first listen, but this was definitely one. This is inventive, creative, exploratory and downright exciting. It’s not perfect but I fully expect it to grow on me and with me.
Review score: 95%