An extravagantly quirky musical rollercoaster, that’s exactly what Liverpool-based band Transmissions is offering through Operate The Light Chain. Review.
OPERATE THE LIGHT CHAIN – TRANSMISSIONS
One has to be absolutely out of their mind to open a record with We’re on at 10. Yeah. But that’s fine, Transmissions are out of their minds, wild, unhinged. And that’s the spirit they went with for creating Operate The Light Chain. Capable to create calmer tracks like Blunt Axe, they are remarkable through their strong-headed ideas, pushing to do whatever the fuck they want and getting on with it. A high-pitched scream and a psychedelic distortion invite themselves in this holiday-like song. It’s only fitting.
Mournful Shopping Muzal refers to all these muzak songs, made for shopping centres – but it also opposes them as this one is short, catchy but also mad, funk and efficient. Again, Transmissions turns to something almost classic rock with Repeat After Me, Mermaid, Elaine, Yellow Moneywort… Until Lo Churnmilk Peg explores the metal and post-punk grounds with its nerve-wracking experimental atmosphere. Soft with electronica (The Long Way), folk (Pub Song, Love Song), humour (Here Kitty, God’s Little Help)… they also get threatening (Interview) – a bit – but never mean.
It’s a diagonal through genres and the band states they’ll do as they see fit. It’s an attitude that can’t leave me indifferent. Far from blocking them, that’s exactly how they are imposing their sound. It’s arty, psyche, stoner and alternative all at the same time. Humour and tenderness got through pure extravagance in no less than 20 songs. It’s madly well done. Transmissions made of Operate The Light Chain a patchwork-record in which the harmony can be found in only one thing. Their free spirit. A band to keep an eye on.
