Transaction de Novo

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois in 1997. Following the quiet gentility of the first lo-fi "Four Song" EP and the layered experimentation of "What Fun Life Was" and "Bedheaded," "Transaction de Novo" is a mellower Bedhead record. Indie rock producer Steve Albini gives the band space to create its own sound; it combines percussion and odd time signatures with its well-known tiered guitar compositions. The vocals, stronger than ever, are no longer buried amidst the whirlwind of three guitars, but reside in spacious moments. Melody reigns, allowing multi-layered guitar intricacies to shine through. "Extramundane," is anything but, a surprisingly up tempo number that gives a nod to pop and jolts the listener into an Unrest-type track sung by an uncharacteristically tuneful Matt Kadane. The remainder of the recording hews to its country-like beginnings, with songs such as "Forgetting," complete with guitar twang and muttered vocals. With the laboring bass and minimal drums of the final track, "The Present," the band harks back to its beginnings. The last and final album from these kings of shoegazing rock comes full circle.