The Transport Assembly

"Improbable Songs" CD

Broken Twilight

Genre: experimental rock, free jazz

Michigan, USA

Aug 2008

Dissonance, angular guitars, and unconventional songwriting weave together masterfully on this enticing debut from Seattle's Transport Assembly. The resulting brew is inspired by the art-rock of This Heat as well as the more basic melodic sensibility of indie rock acts like Archers of Loaf, Three Mile Pilot, and Atombombpocketknife. While it features the odd obligatory freakout (the second half of "Start," "Magnetic Storm"), Improbable Songs is still a remarkably hook-driven affair. Man-on-a-mission rockers "Vanity Forcefield" and "Space Age Polymer" are especially memorable, matching unique songwriting with deliciously springy melodies. Meanwhile, the occasional blip in quality (drudging "Chancellor Bandicoot," "Intelligent Machines") doesn't detract much from the record's success. Several of Improbable's songs may work in improbable ways, but there's no denying The Transport Assembly has put together a solid debut here - one that can be enjoyed both for its innate charm and its refreshing unconventionality.

the transport assembly's myspace

81%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 12 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2008]