Trans Am, Futureworld (Thrill Jockey) 9
Trans Am are the living embodiment of King Crimson's "20th Century Schizoid Man," having bounced like superballs between instrumental prog rock, garage rock, techno and electronica on their previous three albums. Don't be fooled by the opening title, "1999." This is early 80's new wave, where Gary Numan's coked-up Tubeway Army bends Kraftwerk over the couch and makes them howl. On paper it may sound like a fun exercise in kitsch. But in the headphones they sound at their most cohesively serious. In "City In Flames," you can feel Metropolis blowing up. Come the first time machine, they deserve a crack at going back, kicking Vangelis out of the studio and recording the soundtrack to Bladerunner the way it should have been. File between ELO's Time and Rush's Signals.
