Transister

(Interscope)
by Jamie Kiffel

A moody, dark sandstorm of gloom-sex-pop conjures heavy guitars over deep, bassline breaths of synthesized hot winds. Powdery, girl-woman vocals drive deep into voluptuous minor chords, evoking something of Elastica, an element of Garbage, and a good measure of Eurythmics (see “Dizzy Moon,” an undeniable hybrid of “Here Comes the Rain Again” and “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” that will give any child of the ’80s new wave vinyl yearnings).

The trance quality of synthesized, electric ping-pong bassbeats popping from speaker to speaker in “Head” becomes almost brain-shattering when played through headphones, but then, that’s what’s so much fun about it. At their worst, Transister painfully elongates words in order to fill space drifting over failed 1970s sitcom themes, as in “Stars Collide,” which largely drags through dusty expanses of slow oblivion. Although not without its atmosphere-muddying cliches, much of Transister threatens to downpour, even if it only succeeds in delivering a brief but stunning display of heat lightning.