Transona Five

Slowcore + space rock. First album in nearly 20 years from these Texans who were originally part of the Denton space rock scene in the 90s. The band’s name “Transona Five” comes from the name of a Stereolab song. Their long out-of-print recordings have now been compiled here along with some previously unreleased tracks. It’s all very emo and very slow, with some noisier and less slow detours in the second half. Excellent!
* Fun fact: former member Rachel Smith now plays in The Lickets, a local experimental group that’s played Day of Noise.

Related: Bedhead, Duster, Low

1. (3:43) Trucker Talk Ch. 1—Slow, sparse, emo.
2. (4:30) *** Nick—Mid-tempo, begging for strength. “It’s so boring, watching you dying.”
3. (3:03) ** Transona Borealis—Chiming guitar meditation on sleeping pills and lost love. Almost catchy.
4. (2:41) A Radar Screen—Lo-fi, extremely slow and sad. “She said she felt like Jesus.”
5. (3:30) ** Trucker Talk Ch. 4—Fragile, wavering. Vocals at the forefront.
6. (6:29) *** World’s Largest Camera—Romantic, a little more uplifting. Triumphant electric riffs close things out.
7. (5:27) *** Trouble in Reno—Mid-tempo, resigned rock. Droning synth backing.
8. (3:29) Stain—Steady, contented lullaby.
9. (3:20) Coin Toss (Edit)—Slow, patient. Low, soft vocals that remind me of this Swedish folk singer whose name I’m blanking on.
10. (4:50) ** Hey, Hey, Hey—Relaxed bass-driven groove. Chiming guitars, somewhat wailing vocals.
11. (2:35) Alcological—Cheerful, poppy. Male/female call and response vocals.
12. (0:46) Helium—Frantic noise interlude.
13. (2:52) *** Graham Cracker—Throbbing, skyward, shoegazey.
14. (3:57) ** Albany (Instrumental)—Strings, guitars, lots of reverb.
15. (3:51) ** Trucker Talk Ch. 3—Driving rock, sort of 80s. Gets super intense and “arena rock” in the second half.
16. (3:36) ** No Motor—Noisy psychey garage rock, reminds me of Thee Oh Sees.
17. (6:02) *** Estrogen Blaster—Spacey krautrock, more Thee Oh Sees.
18. (8:15) *** Cage (Live)—Live take of a dense space rock journey.
19. (1:27) Warp—Soft, muffled, lo-fi.