Transplants Haunted Cities CD

Transplants: Tim Armstrong (bass guitar); Travis Barker, Rob "SR" Aston.
Personnel: Tim Armstrong (vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer); Gawtti, Paul "Ganxta Ridd" Devoux, Godfather, Rob "SR" Aston, Baby Down (vocals); Dave Carlock (guitar, organ, keyboards, synthesizer, Theremin, background vocals); Gemi Taylor (guitar); Jennifer Tefft (flute); Dave Holden (saxophone); Rich Graiko (trumpet); Victor Ruggiero (Farfisa, Wurlitzer organ); Travis Barker (drums, percussion, loops); Scott Abels, Brett Reed (percussion); Carlos Paucar (programming); Nicky C. (drum programming); Billy Jam (sound effects); DJ Die (scratches); Richard Stites (background vocals).
Additional personnel: Ganxsta Ridd (vocals); Dave Carlock, Matt Freeman (bass guitar); Godfather, Rakaa, Sen Dog, B Real, Victor Ruggiero, Scott Abels, Baby Down.
Audio Mixer: Nealhpogue.
Transplants' 2002 debut shouldn't have worked. There was the supergroup tag, for one, with Tim Armstrong and Travis Barker at the center of a trio that also included vocalist/rapper Ron Aston. And besides, their charge of modified punk revivalism, streetscape grit, and hip-hop bravado seemed (on paper anyway) like music for the villains in a DMX action vehicle, or at the very least a sound tailored for game systems. Nevertheless it was oddly effective, and managed some real atmosphere. In 2005 the Transplants return. They've skipped from Armstrong's Hellcat imprint to Barker's Atlantic-distributed La Salle, but it's close to the same sound on Haunted Cities. Opener "Not Today" suggests the first record's "Tall Cans in the Air"; it sounds like a futuristic retelling of 1977 punk, and Sen Dog stops by for a guest verse. "Apocalypse Now" isn't as effective -- its lyrical rage is empty, and the converted drum'n'bass backing track doesn't go anywhere. But the single "Gangsters and Thugs" is as oddly effective as the debut with its turntables and hedonism, organ drop-ins, and skittering percussion racket. "Gangsters and thugs/Criminals and hoods/Some of my friends sell records/Some of my friends sell drugs." And speaking of Sen Dog, B Real appears on the dubby swagger "Killafornia." "What I Can't Describe" appropriates vintage soul and Cali G-funk; it even features some raps from Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. The swaggering "Madness" sounds like a Rancid track recut to fit the Transplants' shadowy street-fighting sound -- while the hammering guitar and Armstrong's vocal part are pulled right from punk, the theremin-and-keyboard breakdowns are strange flashbulbs from an alternate Golden State reality where it's always night and thugs drive around in jet-powered Packards. Haunted Cities suffers lyrically. Blood, guts, and I'll punch you (or worse) if you look my way -- that's about the size of it, particularly when Aston's on the mike. But the weird Clash-isms of "American Guns" and "I Want It All"'s chopped-up rhythms and scratches work even though they shouldn't. It's all so blatantly postmodern. But the whole package ends up having this strangely alluring glimmer. It's like discovering California Babylon after being lost in suburbia. ~ Johnny Loftus
With the exception of the lead singer, Transplants is composed of ex-members of Rancid and Blink 182. The band's sophomore release HAUNTED CITIES straddles the line between punk, rock-rap, and alternative pop. The latter is best epitomized by "Gangsters and Thugs," a tune that sounds like it could have appeared among outtakes from Beck's ODELAY.
However, this album points mostly in the direction of a punk revival, only with crunchier guitars, heavier vocal rants, and chunkier drum beats. For example, "American Guns" mixes Shane MacGowan-style vocals with messy guitars and a driving bass pattern. But just when you think you've pigeon-holed the group, Transplants switches gears again. On "Hit The Fence" the band combines Beastie Boys-influenced rap with a menacing piano motif. The last track on the album, "Crash and Burn," even uses Afro-Cuban piCMJ (No. 920, p.5) - "Punk and hip-hop have a lot in common, and few bands have bridged this gap so effortlessly."