Trabant
Young, Reckless And Debonaire (released 2007)
New Disorder Records - www.newdisorder.com
First of all, this CD has something that I hate more than anything on a music CD. When you put this in your computer, it wants to fire up a special application to allow you to view videos and such. I hate that shit. It is the absolute worst, as my PC struggles to define what the hell is going on. That and because everything is automatic, you don't know what is being installed or used on your PC. I hate it. BUT... There are some cool things on the extras of this CD. There are two videos from the band, but also included is the back story on how the CD was printed, a lesson on screenprinting and how the CD was recorded..among a few other extras. I still don't like it, but the subject matter is pretty cool. As for the CD itself, well it's pretty good straight forward lo-fi rock. I don't think Trabant (actually the 'r' is supposed to be backwards, but my PC can't do that) wants to be rock stars, their sound isn't polished enough. They offer up a gritty style of punk rock n roll, that isn't near as aggressive as I like, but not bubble gum either. They fall well within the bounds of a indie punk rock act. As with another acts on New Disorder Records, Pirx The Pilot, I felt that Trabant featured a political slant to their music, that I found reminded me very much of Hungry Ghost. That comparison isn't always, but there seem to be connections in sound and delivery between the three bands. Trabant does manage to offer some great songs in their own right, detailing politics, ugly children, bomb makers, egotism and the hipness of alternative thought. I really like the sound of Trabant, the vocals are mashing and pounding, not aggressively, more big brotherly! You feel slightly scolded when listening to Trabant, but in the end you can still sit and have a beer with the group. All in all, this is a fun release to listen to for the DIY and lo-fi aspect of it. Plus the more I read into the extras associated with the PC intrusion software, the more I truely appreciated the disc and the DIY effort the band has gone through to assemble this release. I think I'm gonna do the same thing, print my own CDs! Anyway, "Young, Reckless And Debonaire" is a fun and sadly short, nine-track album that continues the DIY spirit, but also provides some enchanting tracks of lo-fo punk rock for indies, garage punks and DIY-ers alike. -MG |
