from the LP TA, Thrill Jockey Records, 2002Although they have always sorta smacked of high-brow elitism to me, I can’t deny the fact that Trans Am have a seemingly preternatural ability to be extremely catchy in the midst of their educated and cultured irony. This trio from D.C. has been together since 1990 and they have a tendency to jump genres from album to album, although they don’t stray too far outside a basic template. This track and LP find them, obviously, square in the middle of the 1980s synth craze; to be honest, they don’t hint at their humor in the least, coming off entirely sincere when much of what Trans Am does is quasi-pandering or flat out mockery. That being said, to have perfected their imitative-art in such a convincing manner deserves applause enough, but tunes like this one divulge a pop-sense that could only be gained from appreciating, perhaps even liking, the same music they poke fun at.
