‘Kill Your Love / Please Kill Me’ out now (New Heavy Sounds)
Transmaniacon in 2014 were the band formed from the split of XM3a (One (huge) single and a Black Moth Split release on NHS Records). The heavy riffing and over-driven organ and synth Prog/Sci-Fi/Space Rocking was given an altogether new vibe with the arrival of vocalist and song-smith Simon Holliday. Simon’s vocal performances on the following album ‘The Darkening Plain’ were astounding – dark and utterly convincing – and punk/post-punk tinged (sitting as they did on the epic 25 minute ‘Quintessence of Dust’ alongside a Lydia Lunch spoken Word appearance) – think Jello Biafra/John Lydon.
It was perhaps this unusual alliance of styles and the dark theatricality of the album and band (only one ever immersive performance of a 35 minute ‘Quintessence’) that meant while the album was well received, it was also not completely understood either.
Simon was to leave the band to join London noise-punks Art Trip several months later during the song-writing for the follow up album, Suzie Pellet.
Simon’s sad, premature death in March this year shocked the band along with the large musical fraternity with whom Simon had worked with during his musical career (From 80’s/90’s Camden days with The Unbelievers alongside The Faith Healers and Snuff to producing Skinny Girl Diet and playing back in home-town, Portsmouth with Milton Underground Resistance. From synth and sound for Stereolab to on the road with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Turin Brakes). As a tribute to Simon, Transmaniacon have revisited, remixed and mastered two of Simon’s songs written at the time of ‘The Darkening Plain’ album but not released at the time.
Both dark an dense (neither fitting thematically with the post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting for the album)
‘Kill Your Love’ A driving and ferocious ‘Deep Purple’ rocker about a doomed relationship
‘Please Kill Me’ A pounding and Doomy progger of angst about illness and assisted death
The tracks are available as a free/name your price digital single by NHS Records with a new sleeve design by Simon’s brother, artist Dan Holliday.
https://transmaniacon.bandcamp.com/album/kill-your-love
Simon would go on to release albums with Art Trip and the Static Sound, Milton Underground Resistance and (extraordinarily) Micro-wave Wankers! He also had tracks recorded for his very first solo album.
