T.R.A.M. – “Lingua Franca”
2/28/12 Sumerian Records

Let me introduce you to my new friend T.R.A.M., they are a delicious ‘supergroup’ fusion from different realms of music. Adrian Terrazas (The Mars Volta) on saxophone, flute, bass clarinet and percussion, Javier Reyes and Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders) on guitars, and Eric Moore (Suicidal Tendencies) on drums. “Lingua Franca” is their debut album, and even though it’s just about 30 minutes in duration, it’s packed with awesomeness. If you’re a fan of metal, jazz, thinking outside the box, Animals As Leaders, The Mars Volta, or….music in general, you’re going to love this album.

Firstly, a lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue. Music perhaps?

Recurring words I found in my notes: Groove, jazz, sax, jam, music theory, perfect, sex.

Right when you start listening you can hear the heavy influences from all the bands involved in this group, which makes for a great mixture and final product. “Seven Ways Till Sunday” is a very jazzy, slow groove, jam session, quite possibly one of the best jam sessions of all time. They add some soothing female vocals in this track, as well as “HASS Kicker” and “Inverted Ballad”. One of the more unique tracks “Consider Yourself Judged” is very jazzy and sporadic, yet it stays on course and makes for a great great track and musical experience. The next track is “Endeavor”, and it couldn’t be named anything more appropriate for the sound. The guitar parts on this track specifically are very Animal As Leaders-esque. And might I add, some awesome flute work! Then we stumble upon “HASS Kicker”, very slow and mellow, the sexiest track on the album, slightly reminds me of the quieter side of Pink Floyd for the first 2 and a half minutes, then it reverts back to the sound that we’ve been enjoying for the past 3 tracks. “Hollywood Swinging” is a very jazz oriented song, and while it tapers down at the end it uses vocal harmonies as an instruments and it’s fantastic and very different. We’ve come to the end with “Inverted Ballad”, a slow song that closes off the album and incorporates all of its members, instruments, music theory, and elements perfectly. You can literally fell the song saying goodbye to the listener, and all you want is another track…..two….or ten.

I’m not fully sure how to describe this album or this band. It’s a fusion, an experience, a musical journey, a melting pot, its….perfection. I hope to hear A LOT more from T.R.A.M.