The Transplants - Haunted Cities

By his own admission Rob Aston, who is the vocalist for The Transplants, has a hard time describing their music. With each of the three members of hand having other interests outside of the band it is not surprising to see so many different styles of music on their latest album.

When you throw into the mix special guest appearances from the Boo Yaa Tribe, Rakaa from Dilated Peoples, B Real and Sen Dog from Cypress Hill it makes for one extremely diverse recording. After the massive hype surrounding their first release and with the first single Gangsters and Thugs receiving plenty of airplay from Triple J it is clear that Haunted Cities will be a much anticipated release.

It is clear that drummer Travis Barker of Blink 182 fame has had more of an influence on Haunted Cities than he did on the bands previous release. After all The Transplants was started as an experiment by Rob Aston and Tim Armstrong, of Rancid fame, who invited Travis to join them. But it is clear that every member is allowed to have their input into the recording.

It is hard for me not to think of The Sex Pistols when I listen to the first track Not Only Today. This track features Sen Dog from Cypress Hill and demonstrates that hip-hop and punk rock are both born from anarchism.

Fuck no, not today
No chance, no way
My life, my say
Fuck no, no way

The opening line from the first track set the scene for what is to follow. With Rob’s raspy punk rock vocals, drum and bass rhythms and Tim’s guitar styling Apocalypse Now is a very strange mix indeed. It does however gel together in a way I never thought possible. Although not Rob’s first pick for the first single to be lifted from this album Gangsters and Thugs was always destined for success. An almost pop sound, scratching, sampling and freestyle lyrics am I still listening to the same band? But it was this song after all that got my attention.

Some of my friends sell records
Some of my friends sell drugs

What I Can’t Describe is another one of the surprising tracks on this album and features the ultra cool Boo Yaa Tribe. With it’s laidback R’n’B feel this is one song that will be on high rotation at my next lazy Sunday afternoon barbecue, along with I Want It All. I am a sucker for a big fat funky bass though! Doomsday is another of the more mellow tracks on Haunted Cities and adds other layer to the complexity of this CD.

Killafornia is pure flat out hip-hop and features the unmistakable sound of B Real from Cypress Hill and some more of Travis’ awesome beats. American Guns brings us back to where this roller coaster ride began. Once more we are drawn into another punk rock masterpiece from three guys who have worked with some of the biggest names in the business.

All of the members of The Transplants have previously been on the Vans Warped Tour and are currently reliving the experience together. The influences of tour favorites like Rancid are clearly evident in Madness. I’m sure that this song will be a hit with fans when The Transplants support The Offspring in September after canceling their own headline show so the two bands wouldn’t clash.

Hit The Fence is another track that Tim seems to have had a big influence on. Recorded using pro tools in the bands tour bus while they were on tour with The Foo Fighters it is no surprise that this is one of the shortest tracks on the album. Rob even had to get down on his hands and knees to hold Travis’ drums together while they recorded. At one minute 57 seconds Pay Any Price is the shortest song here. For that reason alone it is sure to be a hit with the punk purest fans, despite it’s drum and bass undertones. Who would have ever though you could mix a punk rock song with a drum and bass rhythm?

The final song is Crash and Burn and would be my pick as the next single. More beats, scratching and freestyle lyrics make this track another of my personal favorites. I have actually heard that a lot of the songs contain freestyle lyrics with Madness being recorded with 100% freestyle lyrics.

After my first listen to this, I wasn’t quite sure what to think each song is so uniquely different but all are equally well crafted, when you consider the calibre of the people working on Haunted Cities I would be disappointed if they weren’t. I’m not sure if the fans of Blink 182 or Rancid will be raving about this release but who cares. For a band who started as a bit of fun and who never intended to record an album let alone release two internationally, it probably won’t matter to them what anyone thinks. I love it and will be first in line if they decide to make a trip to Australia.