2012.08.28 Trans Am - What Day Is It Tonight?

Color: Black

Released: 2009, November 24

Label: Thrill Jockey

As previously stated, I am a recent convert to Trans Am. You typically think of live records as something that only die-hard fans of a band enjoy. But I happened to take to this record quite immediately. It serves as a good cross section of the band’s entire ouvre. Classics like “Play In The Summer” are represented nicely alongside newer tunes like “First Words” from 2007’s Sex Change. The production of this recording seems to easily clear the hurdle of awful sound that some live collections suffer from. The art and design of the record are in keeping with most Trans Am releases - a decidedly modern, almost swiss style, approach is employed where typography is concerned and all photography is kept on a tight simple grid. I’m always tempted to call Trans Am a Chicago band, but in reality they’re not - perhaps it’s because all of their records have been released on Thrill Jockey and they’ve employed Tortoise’s John McEntire as the man behind the knobs on several recordings.