Rating: RRRRR
Review by Kimmo Toivonen
It’s late March as I write this review. That the winter is loosening its’ stranglehold on us and we’re heading towards the summer. Earlier today, I was driving around town, the sun was shining, I had ”Midnight Transmission” playing in the car stereo… and life was just a little bit better than usual! This album could very well be the soundtrack of summer 2026, because it’s everything I could ask from a summer album - plenty of uptempo songs with uplifting melodies and sharp hooks, wrapped up in excellent production!
As the name of the band might suggest, Transatlantic Radio is an international band with members from USA, Australia and Sweden. The band was founded by Swedish-born bassist Victor Brodén and the lead vocalist Mattias Osbäck is also from Sweden, so it comes as no surprise that the melodic sensibility the Swedes seem to be born with is very much evident in these songs. Must be something in the water…
The music of Transatlantic Radio is unashamedly retro, classic AOR with a sound that takes me back to the million dollar productions of the late eighties. Think Def Leppard’s ”Hysteria”, Journey’s ”Raised On Radio”, the first Danger Danger album.
”That’s What You Get (For Falling In Love)” has been chosen as the opener, and it is in an excellent choice. A laidback, yet urgent melodic rocker with massive harmonies and a killer chorus. ”City Of Angels” is a bit grittier, but still ultra-melodic. For ”Wide Awake” the band add an extra portion of grit, the intro reminds me a bit of AC/DC! Fear not, the melodies start flooding after a few bars and the chorus is layered with harmony vocals and keyboards.
It’s unusual for an AOR album, but ”Midnight Transmission” doesn’t really have a single ballad on it. ”Fever Dream” is the closest thing to one, but I’d classify it as a moody mid-tempo song. Think Def Leppard’s ”Hysteria” again, and I’m talking about the song by that name. After this change of pace, ”The Good Times” takes us back to the Danger Danger’ish party AOR vibe, with an effective ”whoah”-loaded chorus.
For my ears, the Swedish melodic sensibility is most evident in ””First To Be The Last” and ”Against All The Odds”, which remind me a bit of 80’s Alien and Treat. In between them there’s ”All For You”, which sounds like a cross between Journey and Toto.
The last song ”Born To Rise” tries to fool you that it’s a Jim Steinman-inspired ballad with its’ piano intro, but it soon turns into a full-blown AOR track. I hear traces of the Christian band Whiteheart in this song for some reason.
So there you have it. The first 5R album of 2026. Not a single weak song, superb performances and a top-notch production. Can’t ask for much more, can I? Okay, I’m not 100% sold on the artwork, wasn’t that idea used on Bon Jovi’s ”Bounce” already? It’s the content that matters though, and that’s worthy of the full set of R’s!
No comments:
Post a Comment