Crash Street Kids
Transatlantic Suicide
Rating
Style: Glam Rock & Roll
Release date: April 10th 2009
 

WOW, well blow me over with a feather, I’m shocked. This was not what I was expecting when asked to review this album. I was going to can it after 1 or 2 listens, but Crash Street Kids had another idea. The music is so captivating & fresh & the vocals of Ryan McKay are such a pleasure to listen to. I thought Transatlantic Suicide was going to be another poor glam album jumping on the band wagon created by Wig Wam, Hardcore Superstar & Miss Crazy, but I was totally wrong. This is glam, but this is well played and executed ‘70s glam rock & roll. Think early Bowie, T-Rex, Slade, Sweet & Moot The Hoople. I can even hear some Queen & Beatles.

After doing some research on Crash Street Kids I found out that The Supersonic Star Show Part 3: Transatlantic Suicide (to give this it's full title) is actually the third and final installment in the band's trilogy of albums about a rock star named “The Kid” (Let's Rock and Roll Tonite part 1 & Chemical Dogs part 2 ) These a both on there way to me as I write this & I hope they are half as good as this one!!!!

The first track “The Engineers” starts off with a real psychedelic organ & acoustic guitar, you think, this is a weird opener for an album. Then after 2 minutes in rips into a real glam rocker almost punk like. “Do You Still Believe in Rock & Roll?” is what Crash Street Kids is all about, ‘70s glam rock & roll all the way baby, excellent track. “Cigarettes & Starf*ckers” has to be a single, this fucking rocks your ass off. Love the lyrics in this song all about getting busted for drugs and stuff (The Fall of “The Kid”). Very well written track. “I Disappear” & “Destroyer” are in my opinion two of the best glam rock tracks I have heard since “Ziggy Stardust”.

The last half of the album (Or side 2 if we were in the ‘70s & still listening to vinyl) is where Transatlantic Suicide takes off into the theatrical side of the album, which I think, is the best half of the album. A lot of influence comes into the music in this half of the album. “Berlin” is a monster track and I can The Beatles-Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band all over it. “Dressed In White” is a 4 part (“Termination”, “Dressed In White”, “The Front Row” and "30 Seconds to Window") 9 minute song. Again a very well written glam rock & roll track. Starts out full throttle before pulling things back to a ballad & then finishing again with some awesome Bowie influence organ & vocals. This track is worth the price of the CD itself. “The Kid Is Dead?” finishes off this great musical carpet ride. I swear you will be singing the chorus in your head for days.

This is an album that sticks the big middle finger up to the record companies that think that glam rock & roll is dead. The only sad thing about this is, if this was 1975 Crash Street Kids would be a band the whole world would have heard about.

Taken from the bands web site - Included with the album is a DVD containing live footage from the legendary Whiskey A Go-Go in LA along with a performance from Alice Cooperstown in the bands Phoenix hometown. There's also a documentary on the making of the album featuring interviews with the band members. It's an interesting and welcome addition to the album and makes the whole package even more worthwhile giving you the perfect insight into how the album was put together.


Tracklist

Act 1

01. The Engineers
02. Do You Still Believe in Rock & Roll?
03. Cigearettes & Starf*ckers
04. I Disappear
05. Destroyer
06. The Zero
Act 2
07. We Kill Tomorrows
08. Berlin
09. Dressed in White
  I. Termination
  II. Dressed in White
  III. The Front Row
  IV. 30 Seconds to Window
10. Saturn's Return
11. The Kid is Dead?
Label: Zero Music
Promotion: ArtistWorXX
Distribution: MusicBuyMail
Reviewed by: Tye Brown
Date: May 3rd 2009
Website: www.crashstreetkids.com