Amazing Transparent Man
The Measure of All Things
Springman
No pop-punk band has any chance of sounding original, so the only way to salvage their music is to make it sound good. This Dekalb, IL-based trio cashes in in that regard. This eight-song maxi-EP was produced by the Albini of the genre, Mass Giorgini, at his Sonic Iguana Studios. His watermark stretches from the beginning to the end of the EP. It commences with “Edit/Undo,” which I was first introduced to on the Springman Records sampler, Punk Rock Strikes Back (no Lucasian claim of greatness, just the follow-up to their first comp, Punk Rock Strike, both of which are a paltry dollar). No sooner does the sugar rush begin than the Ataris-inspired track kicks in. “If I Can’t Have My Air Guitar, I Don’t Want No Air At All” is a saccharine love song that endears itself to young geezers as Rick (vocals, guitar) sings “Time has passed and now I’m 22 years old, and I can barely hold my own,” earnestly believing he’s been to enough places/done enough things to realize his dream girl is destined for him. While the clever/pointless song title isn’t a movie quote, wasn’t it The Ataris who had a similar-themed song with “San Dimas High School Football Rules”? All in all, it’s a fun enough effort that features two covers, including a jarring version of The Smoking Popes’ “I Need You Around,” disorienting because the vocals seem nasal next to Josh Carter’s velvety croon. This disc may not make a mint, but ATM certainly deposits a successful transaction.
Amazing Transparent Man: http://www.a-t-m.net
