Trans Am – “Sex Change ” – [Thrill Jockey Records]

Somewhere around the tenth Thrill Jockey release in just over a decade from this reliable trio. Plenty of no-nonsense rock guitar sounds and strong drumming here, but what sets Trans Am apart from the rest are their pulsing synthesizers and melodic keyboards. Each of these tracks exists somewhere along the scale between two extremes: some are closer to the ambitious guitar/drums muscle-rock of a band like Don Caballero, and others lean more toward the simple melodic robotic-synth-ism of Kraftwerk. Refreshingly rhythmic and uncomplicated, Trans Am???s music always hits the spot for me. They don???t show a particularly long artistic reach, but they rule their own musical neighborhood for sure. Mellotron-freaks, check A4.