Transmissionary Six

Album Review

With a style that harks back to a '50s rock slow waltz in the vein of Duane Eddy or the Shadows, this album begins with a pretty instrumental called "Short Wave Hello." It's also the album's closer, allowing for a sense of completion. Lead singer Terri Moeller has a very soft delivery on "Rodeo Satellite" that brings to mind the Cash Brothers, but with a loop-like percussion to it. Most of the arrangements on the album are somber, dark, and dreary, resembling outtakes from the Twin Peaks soundtrack. Culminating in French, the track ends on a rather odd and bizarre note. "Clay Man Down," one of the most accessible and pop-friendly songs of the ten, is a slow roots pop tune in the vein of the Jayhawks or a polished Neil Young. Another pretty but morose song is "Mothball." Complete with some Beatles-era backwards effects, Paul Austin's piano carries the number most of the way. What works for the group is the full-band sound, despite being a duo, albeit a very multi-talented one. Songs are not fully developed in some instances, notably "Marooned," which fades as soon as the listener gets into the rhythm. "My Paper Party Hat" is a folk-oriented track with a terrific percussive stomp to it in the chorus. "Everything is coming up rose colored glasses/Even the blind man likes the view," is a wry couplet that shows some of Transmissionary Six's stronger lyrical skills. "Submarine" has an underlining tension to it similar to the Smashing Pumpkins. It's an interesting effort that would go well between Wilco and the Cash Brothers.