Rating - Transister

Debut self-titled album for a trans-Atlantic three piece band which has a mix of silky smooth ballads, rock and dance tracks. The first single was track one; 'Look Who's Perfect Now'; (which sounds alarmingly like No Doubt) but the follow up; 'Dizzy Moon' is pure pop at it's best. Gary Clark (Scotsman, who used to be in 80's band Danny Wilson - remember Mary's Prayer -) met bassman Eric Pressly (American) by chance in a bar in Los Angeles and then invited him to London to experiment with some ideas in his home studio. They later saw Keely Hawkes (English) sing in a local club, and Transister was born. There are obvious comparisons with Garbage - not least the UK/US connection - with Keely Hawkes sounding like Shirley Manson in places, and the rest of the CD having similar overtones too. Some of the dreamier tracks toward the end of the album stand out, along with the interesting Head, but you wonder if they could experiment more with dance rhythms as that one leaves you wanting more. But it's an CD of album tracks, and although a fairly impressive debut, they'll need to come up with more tracks like; Dizzy Moon; if they're to get more media attention.

1. Look Who's Perfect Now
2. Weather Boy
3. I Saw Red
4. Dizzy Moon
5. Then I Walked Away
6. Head
7. What You Are
8. Stars Collide
9. Day #1
10. Falling Off The World
11. Flow

Rating **********

Review date - August 98

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