Transmission (The Tea Party album)
| Transmission | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Tea Party | ||||
| Released | August 19, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | Alkemical Studios (Montreal), NRG Studios (Los Angeles), Studio Morin Heights (Morin Heights) | |||
| Genre | Industrial Rock | |||
| Length | 49:34 | |||
| Label |
EMI Music Canada Atlantic Records | |||
| Producer | Jeff Martin | |||
| The Tea Party chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Transmission is the fourth album recorded by the Canadian band The Tea Party, released in 1997. The band expanded on the mix of rock, blues and world music found in their previous albums by adding electronic instruments and recording techniques to their repertoire.
While still using several exotic instruments and maintaining the "eastern" influence in the recording, many songs also include samples, sequencers and loops alongside the traditional acoustic instruments. The result is a harder, industrial sound. The album makes lyrical references to the afterlife ("Psychopomp"), the dystopian works of Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Yevgeny Zamyatin ("Army Ants") and Giovanni Piranesi's 'Imaginary Prisons' ("Alarum").
Transmission continued to build on the momentum generated by The Edges of Twilight, reaching #3 on the Canadian album chart, double platinum status in Canada and receiving a 1998 Juno nomination for "Blockbuster Rock Album of the Year". An edited version of the song "Temptation", as well as an instrumental version of "Babylon", can be found on the PlayStation game Road Rash 3D, from the same year.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Temptation" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Army Ants" | 3:33 |
| 3. | "Psychopomp" | 5:17 |
| 4. | "Gyroscope" | 2:56 |
| 5. | "Alarum" | 4:58 |
| 6. | "Release" | 4:05 |
| 7. | "Transmission" | 5:17 |
| 8. | "Babylon" | 2:50 |
| 9. | "Pulse" | 4:09 |
| 10. | "Emerald" | 4:51 |
| 11. | "Aftermath" | 5:43 |
Hidden tracks
Transmission contains two hidden pieces of music, both hidden in the pregap:
- An untitled piece consisting solely of electronically processed voices and sounds is located between tracks 6 and 7, lasting approximately 15 seconds
- An instrumental piece entitled "Embryo", lasting approximately 2 minutes, can be found between tracks 8 and 9
Singles
- "Temptation"
- "Babylon"
- "Release" (All profits from the release of this single were donated to the White Ribbon Campaign)
- "Psychopomp"
- "Gyroscope"
Recording personnel
- Produced and recorded by: Jeff Martin
- Recording assistants: Don Hachey and Lee Moro
- Recorded at: Alkemical Studios (Montreal), NRG Studios (Los Angeles), Studio Morin Heights (Morin Heights)
- Mixed by: Jeff Martin
- Tracks 2, 3, and 6 mixed by:Jeff Martin and Adam Kasper
- Mixed at: NRG Studios (Los Angeles), Studio Morin Heights (Morin Heights)
- Mastered by: Bob Ludwig
- Mastered at: Gateway Mastering (Portland)
- Assistants: Don Hachey, Brian Virtue and Robert Carranza
Art details
- Cover painting: "The Earth We Inherit" by Stuart Chatwood
- Concept: Stuart Chatwood and James St. Laurent
- Art design: Verve Graphic Design Consultants Inc.