Secret History: Trans Am's Surrender To The Night
Our occasional series "Secret History" features profiles of classic D.C. albums as a way of looking back at the District's contributions to music over time. This installment looks back at Trans Am's post-rock triumph, Surrender To The Night (Thrill Jockey, 1997).
The mid to late 1990s saw the emergence of post-rock, a Chicago-centric genre which filters Brian Eno-influenced experimentalism, progressive jazz, and electronic bleepscapes through a more or less standard rock lens, shedding what some believe are the constrictive rules of rock 'n' roll to forge a brave new sonic path. While occasionally sacrificing hooks and catchy melodies at the altar of navel-gazing abstraction, when done right, post-rock can push boundaries in exciting new directions.
Along with Tortoise’s Millions Now Living Will Never Die and The Sea And Cake’s The Fawn, Trans Am's second LP, 1997’s Surrender To The Night, is one of post-rock’s crowning glories and a testament to the potential of the form. Over eleven tracks, the trio -- Nathan Means (bass, keyboards), Philip Manley (guitar, keyboards), and Sebastian Thomson (drums) -- fuse arena rock, Jan Hammer-esque '80s TV chase themes, shoegaze, krautrock, dub, and who knows what else into a mind-blowing mélange of instrumental magic. It's an album bursting with eureka moments, startlingly smart and awesomely rocking.
Despite having roots in the D.C. area - “We're all from the near-in Maryland suburbs. We listened to lots of Dischord bands and played at and went to Positive Force benefit shows in high school,” Means tells DCist - the District’s Clinton-era indie rock community never seemed to fully embrace the band, whose sound didn't fit the city's standard post-punk profile. Says the bassist, “We were never really considered part of the D.C. scene. We headlined in New York City before D.C. On tour, everyone thought we were from Chicago. And even after years of living in Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant and running a studio in Chinatown and becoming friends with people from all sorts of established D.C. bands, we are still never included in histories of the 1990s in D.C.”
There were some perks, however. “At least we got drink deals at the Black Cat,” says Means, “and our parties were always better than most slumming group house affairs.”
“We always knew we were considered part of a post-rock scene and we knew it helped us a lot for getting shows and fans,” remarks Means. “It's really the only scene we've ever been part of - except a brief and marginal foray into the late '80s harDCore scene. But, like lots of musicians, we've never really been all that into scenes. They are a lot more useful for journalists than for musicians.”
Regarding the sounds and influences that helped to shape Trans Am’s style, Means observes, “We listened to Tortoise and Autechre and some other electronic groups, for sure. But we always listened to a lot of straight ahead rock like Van Halen and Led Zeppelin…. I think some of the biggest influences for us have been the gear that we ended up with, the keyboards and drum machines. They dictate a lot.”
Adding to the band’s post-rock pedigree is the fact that Trans Am have always been associated with Chicago’s Thrill Jockey label, a longtime home to the genre. About the release of Surrender To The Night, Means recalls, “We initially approached a bunch of labels, including Dischord. Most of them didn't respond…. Dischord didn't put it out, but Phil did meet with Ian [MacKaye], which was cool. I think [Tortoise, The Sea And Cake, and Bastro drummer/multi-instrumentalist/post-rock luminary] John McEntire gave Bettina [Richards] from Thrill Jockey a push in our direction, since he recorded [Trans Am’s 1996 self-titled debut], as well. Anyway, Bettina offered to put it out… We were all stoned sitting around John's studio and no one could say anything. I sort of tried to appear ‘casually positive’ and negotiate a bit, but I had no idea what I was doing.”
Surrender To The Night, from first song to last, never ceases to excite. Eschewing vocals, Trans Am are forced to rely on instrumental dynamics and phrasing to get their ideas across, and the notes speak volumes. Lead off track “Motr” is a brilliant opening gambit, steadily building tension with soaring synth lines, clarion single note guitar cries, and pounding toms until everything bursts into the light at the 1:32 mark, a crashing mid-tempo giant. Album standout “Cologne” is a stunning bit of chilly faux-euro gloom, buoyed by a g-funk-cum-casbah keyboard line and echoey blips, while the blown-speaker beats and damaged Spy Hunter guitar lines of “Rough Justice” create an eerie, pulsing atmosphere of dread. "Tough Love" is a skittering, bouncing delight, deep bass tones and keyboard lines breaking through the digital darkness with some welcome fresh air, and "Night Dreaming" is a lovely, spaced-out nocturne.
John McEntire’s production gives the tracks a rich sonic sheen, perfect for headphone headnodding. “It was great working with John,” remembers Means. “We also slept at John's warehouse, so after tracking we'd have a few beers and he'd relax just a bit. One night Seb got sloshed and started screaming at John and hitting our guitarist. But John remained pretty calm.”
“We were Tortoise fans and really big Bastro fans,” continues Means. “So it was very exciting to be in Chicago. Other people from Tortoise or Slint or Bastro might be around. Those bands were all huge discoveries from when we were 16 onwards, up there with Kraftwerk and Sonic Youth and Fugazi. Also, John completely tore apart a few of our songs and remade them - particularly the title track. That was very aggressive mixing. It kind of blew my mind.”
Having created a post-rock masterpiece, Trans Am gradually expanded their stylistic approach to include more straightforward rock textures. Listening to Surrender To The Night today, Means observes, “It's very sparse and electronic. There's some room sound on the drums, but overall it exists in a digital space. I like it. It is our most ‘intelligent sounding’ record, probably. But we never worked with John again because we wanted to record ourselves and capture more of a physical live rock sound [on our subsequent records]. Which we did, for better or worse.”