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Vibralux :: Trans Mission
(ind, 2004)
After two years of the shock and awe Lawrence glam/drag band Vibralux has brought to the local music scene, the band has released an album full of loud rock music that will make boys proud to wear mascara again.
"Trans Mission" is a collection of high-octane glam rock with a feel that's straight from the '70s. The great thing is that the music sounds like it would come from a band that dresses in womens' clothing and gets crazy onstage. And at 17 tracks, it moves surprisingly quick and doesn't really have a dull spot.
The music gets started with a Kinks-esque guitar part on "Space Fags" that gives way to a high-energy rocker where vocalist Mercury 2 does some nice work in his upper register.
The feel of the album is very '70s glam with some Brian Eno-inspired ballads and some songs that would be at home on the soundtrack for "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." That's why it's so easy to think this album is just a clone of the music from that time period with very little personal artistic merit. That would be jumping to conclusions though.
These boys throw enough twists into the music, and the song writing is strong enough that they succeed in distinguishing themselves, and show that they truly understand the genre.
Not only that, but this is an album that will make the band's live show even more appealing because the songs are are just so catchy. By the third listen, I was singing right along with "Lighter" and "Space Girl Diet." I guarantee that anyone who gives this album some listening time will want to catch more of Vibralux's shows, just so they can sing along with and dance to these songs.
The album is fun for sure, but for those who wish to dig deeper, yes this album has some layers. The Mercury story-line is enough give some depth behind the characters you see onstage at the shows. That's why, for me, this album really succeeds on all levels. It's rare for me to give such a beaming review, but really Vibralux get's it all right on this album, and "Trans Mission" will be in my personal rotation for at least the next year.
The high point of the album comes with "Lighter" where Mercury 2 sings "You're gonna find I'm highly flammable when I'm under pressure / Squeeze on me and lover y'know I'm gonna get ya / Warning keep away from children, warning keep away from children." Follow that up with several tight little guitar solos, and you've got a glam ballad that would make David Bowie jealous.
Now hopefully this album gets some love from the local scene.
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