TRANSMITTER

Here we have the debut of an Alabama based band which has a lot to offer. First of all female vocalist Anstrom is to mention, not only an eye catcher but also provided with a sensitive and emotional voice which remembers me at Kate Bush sometimes. Her abilities are rounded up with the use of the mysterious theremin and belly dancing (mainly interesting for the live performances of course). Tony Novak plays the conventional bass instrument but is also a master of the chapman stick and Kevin Kaiser knows to handle such an atypical guitar like the banjitar.

So it's not a problem to realize that this band is influenced by diverse music styles. Besides the regular rocking elements their songs are combined with some trip hop, ambient and even a lot of psychedelic guitar contributions. The video version of the opener Lilith reaped an award in 2003. Four minutes in a trippy mood with adept bass and interesting electronic drum work - excellent one!

The following songs are solid, headed by Anstrom's vocals - somewhat balladesque and floating with ambient key patterns in the background similar to the band 'All About Eve' but also equipped with heavier moments. The long track Dirty Road is outstanding offering a complex well-performing structure, provided with some kind of magical vocals plus jamming moments and convincing guitar work - definetely another album highlight for me. The melancholic Signals is opening the album showdown, immediately followed by the heavy rocking killer song Transmitter with an excellent drive, a memorable refrain and a psychedelic touch once more brought up by Kevin Kaiser's guitar.

A good listenable album in the whole and I recommend to check it out ...

This unheralded gem is one of my favorite albums of the decade. Stunning melodies and intricate production (which the band did themselves), I found a freshness and sincerity to this music that I wasn't hearing with some of the more well known prog/art rock bands of the time. The music has a powerful emotional impact and perhaps you'll hear bits of Rush, Marillion, U2, and Tori Amos (among other influences) in there. I stumbled across this band on MySpace and their music just came out of nowhere and make a huge impact on me. Perhaps they don't fall neatly into the "prog" category, but regardless, it's an impressive collection of well-crated, art rock songs.