Christian Biel- guitars, lead vocals, effects
Denise Duncan- drums, samples, keyboards
Corey Lyons- bass, more vocals
Jeff David Harris - guitar, more vocals
Influences
Talking Heads, Modest Mouse, Blonde Redhead, The Wilderness, Wolf Parade/sunset rubdown, Wire, the Fall, James Brown, Saccharine Trust, Public Enemy, Gang of Four, Television, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Miles Davis, Big Black, Tears for Fears, Brian Eno, RADIOHEAD, the Melvins, Fela Kuti, to name a few. We are also inspired by our favorite bands in LA: Die Rockers Die, Death to Anders, One Trick Pony, the Happy Hollows, Anchors for Architects, Henry Clay People, to name a few.
Sounds Like
Some recent reviews:
L.A. Weekly - You know how once in a while a band starts to play and the song is so enticingly trippy, you just stand there transfixed, forgetting that you have a $5 beer in your hand? That’s what the Transmissions’ “I’ll Run It” can do to you. Delicate, floating guitar notes weaved into a heavy groove make for music you’ll want to spend some quality alone time with. Yeah, it’s all been done before, but lead singer Christian Biel has a urgency and sadness to his voice that will make you want to rub his tortured brow with a cool cloth.
NOFI-MAGAZINE - Listening to THE TRANSMISSIONS' "Burning the Winner", I am reminded of Ian Svenonius/ The Make-Up. That is, if the Make-Up slowed themselves down to a more moody, psychedelic experience, or something closely related to that. The Transmissions are another reason the L.A. music scene here is getting better and better. They make me want to pat them on the back or something, give them a cookie and say "Great Job, Keep it Up", and be completely sincere about it.
REWRITEABLE CONTENT - My biggest complaint with most "LA" music is that no one takes any chances; however, the common thread running through The Central Second collective is having the confidence to create unique music. Hearing The Transmissions full length, Burning the Winner, helped me realize this thread of fearlessness. Burning the Winner is full of slowly cooked songs, which rest on a foundation of discord and fragmented riffs. Every song on the album bypasses the 3 minute pop structure, allowing the listener to sink deeper into the world of the song. In that sense (the approach to listening) it feels closer to a noise record. Hearing this grit and integrity, come out of a city famous for having neither characteristic, puts a smile on my face and makes my morning commute across town a little easier.
Playback Magazine - The Transmissions deliver a debut album that is full
of eccentric, eerie rock and eludes every pigeonhole I
tried to squeeze it into. The songs are rife with jazzy,
kinetic guitar work and wailing vocals, at times
bordering on a new wave sound. For some reason this
just seems like music for a David Lynch film
OC Weekly - Listening to their songs, you get the feeling the trio doesn’t just aim to be “different.” Instead, they seem to prefer rocking out nerd-core style, like a mellowed At the Drive-In or Rush on Klonopin. In fact, you might just get addicted—I was transported to a desert where the echoes of another time surrounded me. And I wasn’t even stoned!
LooseRecord NY - Once the band is about to begin, the stage has transformed into what looks like the inside of my computer. For the next 45 minutes The Transmissions put on a show that reinforces why I describe them as the best band to see in L.A. There are moments of riotous, memorable guitar riffs that transition into hypnotic bass lines, haunting vocals and the perpetual heartbeat of drums that eventually swells each song back into splendorous fervor. Christian Biel, lead vocals and guitar, has remarkable stage presence. They succeed at what many bands strive to achieve, but fall short of; The art of the spectacle. To take raw, uncontrolled energy, contain it just at the point before all hell breaks loose and turn it into something inherently beautiful.
Smother Zine - “Over Wires” is a superb debut for
Los Angeles-based outfit The Transmissions. Vocally it can be a throw back to David Byrne and the Warholin’ of ‘80’s alternative rock
bands. Chord changing and poignant distortion is the territory of the
guitars that can be as loud as Sonic Youth but as melodic as the Cure.
Grave Concern - Christian Biel's vocal work sometimes has a timbre remotely
reminiscent of, and a slight warble a la, PIL-era John Lydon,
while the music ranges from bouncy, rhythmically
interesting alt rock to moody, guttural ballads to punchy bass and
noisy guitar recalling Bauhaus's more diverse later work.
Performer Magazine - The Transmissions have a large,
dreamy sound that isn't afraid to explore
the far reaches of their musical talents
or imaginations. They have the market cornered
on eliciting any repressed emotions
one may be dealing with.
Mish Mash Music -
The Transmissions have a quirky and melancholy sound which reminds me a little of The Cure, steeped in the feel of 80s underground rock that keeps one foot firmly planted in depression. The band goes for a larger than life sound, their songs presented with vocal dramatic flair and a wall of creeping guitars that seem to grow larger as the album progresses. Standard pop structures are mostly abandoned, as the songs meander and drift along almost aimlessly. The risk pays off, as the disc brings along the listener along for a wonderful ride.
Screaming Bloody Mess - Stop start/herky jerky indie rock that brings to mind early Modest Mouse, (who I bet they are tired of being compared to), but then maybe with a slightly more new wave punky feel. don’t be surprised if their next release gets onto a bigger indie, something like Merge, perhaps.
Delusions of Adequacy - At times, California's darling The Transmissions strut and pout as if they were from DC, kicking it with the roster of Dischord Records, and at other times they freak out like they were born from the same scene as Modest Mouse. The group manages to shake off mere emulation status with some dark and moody rock songs of their own that are more unique than imitation. I'd keep an ear out for them to move on to bigger and better things.
Indieworkshop - ...And now I have to backtrack. Because I listened to this song again. And now I like it. What’s up with that? I guess it boils down to the concept that good things sometimes take a while to grow on you. It just slowly sweeps on in until you’re like?YEAH! I’m feeling this shit. It’s totally kicking in. can we get more of this?
Splendid Zine - Whether you call their sound slowcore, math rock, post-rock or anything else, it's clear that The Transmissions have a strong vision for their future.
Stylus Magazine (U.K.) - Their album seems like it’s been smuggled out of a Sudanese prison by a socioethnomusicologist for Amnesty International
L'Erba Della Strega (Italy) - (with bad translation provided by babelfish)
These compositions explode in the chaos more total without forgetting the melodic
approach, while a voice modeled after John Lydon singing the songs of
Fugazi while they covered The Cure.
The album explodes within a kaleidoscope of emotions... Beautiful,
terribly beautiful. This I can say of this disc: In an
historical period in which pompous names of the old guard are
pulled in by dance new wave post punk in order to now describe the new
alternatives rock (but alternative to what) , groups as
the Transmissions remind us where it would have to be
returned indeed for having the spirit of those classic sounds.
Over Wires and Burning the Winner both available at CDBABY and on iTunes. Up from the Spinner E.P. available at shows. e-mail us if you want to purchase a copy online. thanks!
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The Transmissions play music for you. We want you to be inspired to create. We like playing live and have had the pleasure to play for frineds and fans in CA, OR, WA, AZ, NM, and TX. These stations play us and you can request our music anytime: INDIE 103 (LA), KXLU (LA), KPSU (Portland), 101X (Austin, as a SXSW best of fest pick), KCPR (San Luis Obispo), KZSU (stanford), KDVS (davis), KILLRADIO.ORG (for which we happily helped raise $1000.00 at a benefit concert we co-organized at The Echo with the CS collective) We are also a member of a collective of bands that are like our family. It is called the Central Second Collective and it is comprised of: THE HAPPY HOLLOWS, ONE TRICK PONY, DIE ROCKERS DIE, THE HENRY CLAY PEOPLE, DEATH TO ANDERS, and us. PLEASE CHECK OUT THESE OTHER BANDS, YOU WILL LOVE THEM!!!
and now our personal info...
faces, faces, faces, faces, faces, faces, is that how I know it's you, faces, faces, faces, faces, changing with any light, changing with any time......
hi christian, i hope so...badly we can make it to the show - but we're in the studio this weekend working on our first album! if we don't see you, have a good show and y'all come back again soon! -e
