raise your hands and turn them into fists.

Things are really moving in Those Transatlantics country. The pleasant five-piece from Mount Pleasant, Michigan have just released their proper debut through Suburban Sprawl and are about a week away from setting off on a creeping tour of these Great Lake States and the East Coast. They've also got a video touring in the very interesting sounding Scion xPress Fest. To be most forthright, I was properly introduced to this band in Michigan at Anathallo's CD release show (part one). What's that? Yes. The Anathallo/Page France show. It's majesty shall live in the-antonym-of-infamy. Those Transatlantics really held their own at the show, and if not for there being more than one Mount Pleasant in the continental United States, it would have been their CD release show as well.
Those Transatlantics are four gentlemen expertly rocking to some great pop rock (indie-style) songs behind a very charming young enchantress, with occasional boy-girl sing-alongs. The quintet will definitely appeal to anyone who has a warm, soft, fuzzy spot for Saturday Looks Good To Me, but will attract many fans on their own merit. It's always fun to read what bands or musicians write under "Sounds Like" on their MySpace page, and while I don't agree that Knocked Out sounds like an early ABBA record produced by Brian Eno, I admire the possibility. These kids have the ability to pull off several different components within their own style, from straight guitar solo's and nice and powerful drumming to layered vocal choral sounds and Bye Bye Birdieesque conversational lyric breakdowns.
In summary, those who like their pop slightly jangly, very timeless, girly in spirit but not in nature, and unadulteratedly varied could do a great deal worse than giving their timid heart to Those Transatlantics(' Kathleen Bracken).
I thought about sharing the band's free internet-only EP, until I realized that the same six songs just became a baker's dozen for Knocked Out. There are two more songs on their Myspace from You're Seated In The Back, which I would frankly like to know more about.



Those Transatlantics' "Boys and Children, Sing For Summer"
"In Your Neighborhood"
& "I Had an Idea, But I Left it at Home"
from Knocked Out

Bloggers in the Those Transatlantics know tend to agree on the highlights of the album, and I am no different. The opening track offers quite a lot of what the group has in it's arsenal, only for them to go back to and elaborate on throughout the record.