Transientworld ...all things transient Release Date : April 27, 2004 Label: Transientworld Audio Rating: Andy doesn't dig rating stuff. Cord's branching out. Electronica! Not electronic-elements-in-a-rock-CD, but actual, full-blown electronica, where the gizmo usage surpasses conventional instrumentation (though there's still live instruments on the disc - they're just spliced, fiddled-with, and looped). Am I an expert on electronic music? Hardly, so I'll be looking at this one with an untrained and pretty objective ear. I went through a time a few years ago where I thought I was really into electronica. I collected a bunch of discs from the genre (mostly trance), and even earlier, I attended a few raves (when I was in high school and the parties were still so underground, it was just the most rebellious thing a high school kid could go and do). But lately, my electro-knowledge is mostly limited to the aforementioned electronic-elements-in-a-rock-CD type. So anyone, including Transientworld, who reads this and thinks with his/her well-educated-in-electronica ear that I have no clue and make silly comments, you're probably right. But I'll do my best. First off, to get this out of the way, this collective has a lofty set of credentials in their past. While this is their first full recording, they've been together for a few years making music that's been featured on all sorts of cool/hip/trendy shows (Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, The L Word, Cold Squad, etc) and commercials. And they've won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, being judged by such industry notables as Björk, Elton John (!) and Wyclef Jean… twice! And out of a quarter-million entries no less. Proving they are definitely not one-trick ponies, the group's core pair, Mary Ancheta and Mark Lazeski each have other, very-different projects : a loungey-jazzy solo project (which Lazeski also plays in), and a spectacular rock band respectively. The talent runs deep here, as they also do most instrumentation, writing, and production work, in their own damn studio. All right, now that we've become well-acquainted with the group, let's see what they can do. The first track, "Awake," (one of the award-winning tunes) begins with a heavy beat, a swirly guitar and a heap of jumping, leaping noises. It's a good way to begin, dragging you in immediately. Soon enough, Lazeski's character vocals kick in - the guy's just got an awesome, strong voice that sits alongside the thrumming electronics easily. Get out the light sticks! After that hard-hitting tune, "three X rex" seems incredibly mellow, a roiling mass of dreamy noises and echoey effects. One thing that I've found with a lot of electronic projects is that the full discs by some artists quickly become monotonous - they don't branch out or change up what they're doing at all, and it ends up being really boring. The CD could quit after five minutes and just be stuck on repeat for all I care. I guess if you are gearing a disc towards drugged-out space-case rave kids, there's often not much need to put in more effort than that. But within the first two songs of ...all things transient, Transientworld has already proven that they refuse to get lobbed into that category of blandness. Throughout the full disc, their penchant for experimentation and emotion is relentless. They manage to span a number of different moods and tempos and feelings. The …all things transient title is apt, with the ebb and flow of styles found throughout. Many of the tracks are instrumental, and usually when there are vocals, they're very simple, repeated lyrics. The tunes were crafted to elicit different reactions from the listeners, drawing them into this dreamworld of the unexpected - every track turns a corner into something new. "Ambient City" features a similar chopped-up guitarish noise to a Derek DeLarge remix of "Everything Zen" from Bush's Deconstructed remix album. I don't know if that's a good or bad comparison to make, but it's a cool sound for sure. Moving along with things-that-sound-like-other-things, I'd really be curious to listen to track six, "Microphone," played simultaneously with David Bowie's "I'm Afraid Of Americans." According to their press sheet, the small vocal sample bits in the song were recorded from some random guy who approached Ancheta outside the Vancouver Art Gallery one day and just started rapping. She happened to have a recorder with her, and bam, a song is created from the humblest of beginnings. "Forever In The Sun," another award-winner, has definite Chemical Brothers feeling to it, and showcases Ancheta's soft and pretty voice. It's light and fun, reminds me a bit of… I don't know, a Fruitopia commercial I suppose. There's bassy-lounge grooves on "Aerial Dust" that make it into definite martini music. Nighttime drive with the top down. Walk on the beach. Yeahhhhhh sweet. A chimey piano plays over top of most of the track too. From there, we get head-nodding with "Six Points," another song with Lazeski's killer voice slithering through it, and that could be a crossover hit on rock radio. The disc ends as vibrantly as it began with "Cataract." There's an interesting mix of music here, with the underlying beat being a frenetic, jumpy, speed-driven tumble, and the sounds over top being a mix of fluid, mingling E-bowish sounds, fuzzy guitar drones, and X-Files noises. I can't tell if I should be relaxed or flipping out on a bad trip. Then the whole thing stops with a light sound that reminds me of crickets somehow, and a heartbeat. Like the party's over, you've lain down exhausted and thrilled in bed as the sun starts to crawl over the horizon, and all you can hear is your own heart pounding in your temples. Lyric of choice : ...um. Not much to choose from here. I'll have to stick with "Six Points" and go with upon this star of six points / you must have hurt yourself. Song of choice : "Six Points". The voice, the feeling, the power… ahhhh, perfect! -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Transientworld website John Lennon Songwriting Contest website Published : June 26, 2004.