Music of The Transoms is awesome
By TODD CALLAIS
In the long tradition of incredibly talented Notre Dame campus bands, the Transoms have joined the ranks of the elite with their first album "the weather is here … … wish you were beautiful."
But wait. Before getting too far ahead, the the band's beginning must be explored.
The Transoms has been around since 1997 and originally was comprised of front man and song writer John Huston, drummer Jeremy Faller and bassist Jim Bilek.
Random events and semester abroad programs eventually caused the band to go through a number of changes. Ron Garcia — formerly of the Butterfly Effect — after playing drums with the band for a little while, decided to take over the drum duties permanently after he helped record the album this summer. Sean Markey took over bass for Jim Bilek late last year. The rest will be history if John, Sean and Ron have anything to do with it.
Now to the matter at hand — the actual album. "the weather here … … wish you were beautiful" is really a great recording that does an excellent job of representing the college scene today. It is an extension of some of the great bands of the last couple of years such as Florida Evans Showband and Revue and the Butterfly Effect.
There is music on this album for people who like punk, soft rock, alternative, hard rock, indie, etc. ... name it, the Transoms got it.
Part of the beauty of the album is that none of their music sounds the same. Each song is a different story and musical experience. The aspect most likable about "the weather is here … … wish you were beautiful" is the great honesty and enthusiasm that can be heard in every song. Each song represents John Huston's frustrations, sarcasm, humor and intellect.
The album has 15 songs that are all play-worthy, but like every album some songs stand out.
The intro song "When We Were Cool" is among the best because it is a quick-paced song that has the aforementioned sarcastic tone. "Cosmetic Surgery" is one of the best tracks on the album, with its great musical transitions. It is clear that it is a really well-produced track.
"Maroon & Blue," which is at the top of best of list, is a really great song that will make the group standout as their music inevitably gets bigger and bigger on campus and beyond.
For those who like the really soft stuff, tracks nine and 10 will be enjoyable. "Sharing Kisses" is a great song with a soft melody that pretty much any person will like. "The New Nathan Detroits" is a song by the band Braid, a group that would be honored to hear the justice done by the Transoms to its.
"Throwing It All" — the second-best song on the album — has a great drum beat (credit should be given to Doug Mceachern, who played drums in the studio) and is a cool song that one can easily picture seeing performed live. Finally the album ends with "Generic Love Song," which is pretty self-explanatory but is a great ending to an already incredible disc.
The album currently is available for $8 and can be purchased from John Huston at jhuston@nd.edu or by visiting the Transoms Web site at www.nd.edu/~jhuston/. There is probably going to be a CD release party in the near future.
For those who like groups who use innovative and creative music — like the Pixies, Braid and Florida Evans Showband and Revue — "the weather is here … … wish you were beautiful" is a choice album. It deserves any music lovers attention.
FIVE OUT OF FIVE SHAMROCKS
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, September 14, 1999
