CD Review: Trances Arc — TA

Trances Arc
TA
Self-Released

By Eileen Tilson

Twice in my Atlanta music life has my dear friend “The Pirate” sat me down at Six Feet Under to talk music. The first time he did this, he told me about The Constellations, which of course I instantly loved. The second time he told me about Trances Arc, the Atlanta based foursome whose sophomore album, TA, is released today on iTunes. This time however the conversation went something like this:

Pirate: “Hey have you heard of Trances Arc?”

Me: “Yes, actually I have, they are pretty good.”

Pirate: “Well, they have a new album coming out, and you need to listen to them again, because they are doing something very different, definitely a band to pay attention to.”

Luckily for me, I did pay attention. Produced by Dan Dixon at Loves Park Studios here in Atlanta, Trances Arc has put together a 10-song album of catchy, single-driven rock, with reminiscence of Remy Zero, The Killers, with a touch of REM. The music is big, with distorted drum sounds, Brandon Flowers-esque vocals, loud guitars, and is loyal to its 90’s alternative routes while remaining current. It is the love from their fans though, that made this album possible. Using the fund-raising website, Kickstarter, Trances Arc raised over $11,000 from their fans to pay for this album.

TA is the album you put on when you want to go out and raise some hell on a Friday night. It jolts you right at off the bat, with “Steep Roof” and “Boom City,” with singer Eric Toledo “oohing” you along, like the pop-punk devil on your shoulder. Although the entire album bounces from one hit to the next, “Black Lung” stands out amongst the album as the most Rock Band worthy tune. With a certain swagger, Toledo moans  about “Throwing caution to the wind/Soaked in peroxide,” reminding listeners of the certain swagger that made Scott Weiland a bona fide rock star.

The moral of this story is, Always Listen to Pirates, they usually are completely on point about music that will bring out the hellion in you.