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The Transmissionary Six are a local Seattle outfit that trades in a shivery, atmospheric brand of Americana, and this is their 3rd full-length release. The nucleus of the band is vocalist Terri Moeller (who doubles as the drummer in veteran band The Walkabouts) and talented multi-instrumentalist Paul Austin (co-founder of the band Willard Grant Conspiracy), who are joined by a number of guests on these recordings. The songs are mostly built around acoustic guitar, fleshed out with elements like electric and acoustic strings, distorted slide guitar, and retro instrumentation like Rhodes piano and Mellotron. Sonic interest is created by unstraightforward production values, like having the drums panned to one side, save for a few cymbal taps panned to the other side, or psychedelic backwards guitar leads. These are very artfully crafted, produced, and arranged recordings.
What really sets The Transmissionary Six apart, I think, is Moeller's vocals, which have a distinct androgynous quality and a unique inflection and phrasing which give them an otherworldly quality, like a twangy, less ethereal version of the singer from Sigur Rós. This quality takes the music to a new level, making these already-atmospheric songs even more immersive.
The lyrics on this disc are rife with vivid white-trashy imagery like flaming Datsuns, monster trucks, dog tracks, and rusty ferris wheels operated by drunken carny girls. These could easily be presented for wink-wink hipster irony value, but I really don't think that's what The Transmissionary Six are going for. I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I didn't fully buy into The Transmissionary Six until I went to their website and saw from the photos how normal-looking they are: Austin could be the guy in the next cubicle. I guess what that did for me was verify the honesty of the music. The choices made are genuine and artistic, not for the sake of fashion, and that makes me appreciate this very engaging and well-done disc that much more. (mike.03.05)
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