Phil Marriott - Transister

"You, Mister-wearing-a-crown/ Push me around/ Dragging me Down/ You, Mister-Head-of-the-class/ Never come last/ Pain in the ass..."

Those very words form a particularly uncompromising greeting from LA threesome, Transister, during the first song on this, their self-titled debut. But its not likely to scare you off. Transister are Keely Hawkes on vocals, Gary Clark (ex-Danny Wilson) on guitar and samples, and Eric Pressly on bass. 'Look Who's Perfect Now' intermingles the snarling attitude of Shampoo, Kenickie, and Echobelly, for a rousing return to the sound of Britpop; continuing through to the foreboding dub-heavy dance experiment, 'Head' where the sheer venom of Hawkes post-break-up answerphone message is aired: "Hi, its me/ Are you there? / Pick up/ I ve got loads of your stuff round the house still/ Are you gonna come and pick it up? / I just don't want to see it anymore/ Oh, f**k you then"

Much of Transister's success could, perhaps, be down to frontwoman Hawkes herself. As a charismatic live performer, her visuals are reminiscent of Daisy Chainsaw's Kate Garside and Elizabeth from Bang Bang Machine. On record, the crossover of musical styles is vast and intricate. The chiming nursery rhyme arrangement of 'I Saw Red', for example, (think Stina Nordenstam singing Radiohead's 'No Surprises' in a playpen with Garbage) is quite dazzling. 'Then I Walked Away' with its anthemic electric guitar surge and 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'-type melody, sounds more like The Beatles than Oasis probably ever will. Just don't tell Liam.

Other highlights include the short-but-sweet and marvellously elastic, 'Dizzy Moon'; the vertigo-inducing and breathtaking, 'Falling Off The World' and the Cyndi Lauper-esque 'What You Are.'

Electric, in other words.

8/10

Phil Marriott
Pulse@netcomuk.co.uk

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