Trans Am walks the same line between substance and style that its namesake car model did in its heyday. Often considered the leading light of the ’90s post-rock scene, the Maryland-based trio switches between big, loud rawk riffing and spacey, experimental ambience, sometimes within the same song. Trans Am gleans imagery and sounds from the synth- and vocoder-heavy music of decades past, but also informs its songs with a detached, millennial indie attitude. The group shifts gears from album to album, and this intellectual restlessness continues with the atmospheric, trippy Thing (Thrill Jockey). The LP should appeal both to new-school stoner-metal fans and the hippie oldheads at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, where Trans Am will be playing a free show on August 18. Nathan Means will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with the band.
Means: The hybrid genre of funk metal had a brief moment in the sun between the late ’80s and early ’90s, bridging the gap between the ’80s hair metal and early-’90s grunge trends. Funk metal is characterized by syncopated funk grooves, slap bass and distorted guitar. It’s also usually accompanied by a light-hearted, comical attitude. But the genre came as quickly as it went. Where did it come from and where did it go. Its origins can be traced back to Jimi Hendrix, Funkadelic and Graham Central Station: black American musicians playing heavy rock music. It also has roots in bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin: white English musicians playing heavy music with the infuence of their black American musical contemporaries.
Black Sabbath have often been credited as the founders of heavy metal music, but listening to the drum break at the top of “N.I.B.,” off their self-titled debut, one can’t help but hear a strong funk influence in Bill Ward’s drumming. Although decidedly less metal, Led Zeppelin’s James Brown-style funk piss-take “The Crunge,” off their Houses Of The Holy LP, could be cited as another source of funk metal. Bass player Larry Graham has been credited as the inventor of slap bass, a technique of bass playing that employs thumping the lower strings with the thumb and pulling—or popping—the higher strings with the index and middle fingers. The tone achieved is percussive and was revolutionary in the late ’60s and early ’70s. In Graham Central Station (his post Sly And The Family Stone solo project), Graham explored a much heavier musical landscape than with he had with Sly. Check out “Earthquake” off the Now Do U Wanta Dance LP. Funkadelic could be considered the founders of funk metal. An all-black rock band formed in New Jersey in the ’60s, Funkadelic broke down genre walls by being black and playing heavy music. Funkadelic were strongly influenced by the loud, druggy, highly sexualized music of Hendrix. They even wrote a song titled “Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?” off their 1978 album One Nation Under A Groove.
Videos after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiShfBmb-oA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGe19nbMhaY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ-ECqhSG-Q
