TRANSISTOR TRANSISTOR

TRANSISTOR TRANSISTOR, the band so damn nice they had to name it twice (sorry couldn't resist). This New Hampshire-based foursome rock balls and shake walls with their edgy brand of aggro-punk. Despite the fact that the waters in which they swim have seen their name lumped in with the tragically trendy emo/scenester collective, I tend to believe theirs was a sound spawned by the Mohawk-adorned ruffians of 1970's London and then filtered to the States via underground anti-heroes such as BLACK FLAG (the influence here has more to do with attitude than the music itself, but it all goes hand in hand). The band's rabid, three-chord mayhem rekindles memories of a day when I would scrawl the letters "FTW" across any and every surface and kicks like a steel-toe to the teeth.

If kids these days are still into things like trashing their bedrooms and venturing out into the world to commit random acts of senseless vandalism in a showing of blind rebellion, then "Brass Bones", "Morning Sickness" and "Letter Of Resignation" would be some good tunes to take along for the ride. The heaviest hitter of the bunch comes by way of "Pillar Of Salt". A plodding open chord chug, driven by a pounding drum groove; this track seethes angst and adrenaline. An ear-piercing layer of feedback and droning lead bends adds flavor while the screams of "I Hope I Rot" from vocalist Nat adds credibility to the negativity. When the dust from said melee settles, TRANSISTOR TRANSISTOR shows that they aren't all piss and vinegar. Akin to the comedown felt after a night of overmedication, "The Ghost Hand" is a brilliantly depressing bluesy tune that features a hint of sullen piano in the background. Somewhere between the aforementioned melancholy and sonic street fight heard on the majority of "Ruined Lives", "Harvest" stands out as the album's epic, but in doing so seems to wear out its welcome and fails to deliver the punch I've already come to expect from this band. I'd stop short at placing "Teratogen" in the same boat as "Harvest", simply because the emotion felt from the former seems to carry more conviction.

For what it's worth, I really enjoyed the hell out of "Ruined Lives". The levels of intensity and attitude put forth by TRANSISTOR TRANSISTOR are becoming harder to find as today's punk-influenced heavy rock scene continues to water itself down. You've got to respect a band like this, which isn't afraid to take chances and step outside their own box, no matter the end result. And quite frankly, I doubt they really give a fuck what any of us think anyway.