Translator - Heartbeats and Triggers

Name: Translator
Album: Heartbeats & Triggers
Year: 1982
Style: Post Punk, New Wave
Similar Bands: Alarm, Jonathan Richman, Clash, Jam, Rifles, The dB's, Wire Train
"One-Word" Review: Solid Punky Art Rock
Based Out Of: San Francisco, Los Angeles
Label: 415 Records, Columbia, CBS

Cover, Record

Record, Back

Heartbeats and Triggers (1982)

1. Everywhere That I'm Not 4:03 (single)
2. Necessary Spinning 3:41
3. Everything You See 3:35
4. When I Am With You 3:06 (single b-side)
5. Nothing is Saving Me 5:16 /
6. Sleeping Snakes 3:37
7. Favorite Drug 3:32
8. Everywhere 3:19
9. Dark Region 2:31
10. My Heart, Your Hear 3:43

Album Rating (1-10): 10.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Steve Barton - Guitar, Vox (The Oblivion Click, Present Tense, Blow Up, Waking Bartonomous)
• Robert Darlington - Guitar, Vox (The Lies)
• David Scheff - Drums (Teatro ZinZanni, Dead Kennedys, Bang Bang Men, Half True, Winter Hours, Wilma, Bounty, Slow Children, American Music Club, Sachiko, Ramona The Pest, Flying Color, Billy & Dolly)
• Larry Dekker - Bass (Bang Bang Men, Map of Wyoming, Sachiko)
• David Kahne - Producer, Engineer
• Philip De Lancie - Remote Assistant
• Paul Stubblebine - Mastering
• Robin A. Spear - Cover Concept & Design
• Trudy Fisher - Photos

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band. While the date is 1982, the cover looks like a millennial angular pop-punk offering. The bleak two tone color scheme give them a darkness to the music, potentially. But i really don't know what's going to be on here...based on their pics, they look like a new wave band, so let's go with that.

Album Review: This record is really great. Two vocal styles from two vocalists round out the good with a Jonathan Richmond style voice, and a Peter Weller style vocal, with music to complement both styles. The songs can be a little jangly like the Alarm, but a good recent comparison would be to the UK band, the Rifles. It feels like the third or fourth catalogue offering of a previously raucous punk band who has aged well and lost a bit of their driving, angsty edge, yet this is their debut.

This record received substantial airplay for college and underground radio stations via the record label's connection to CBS/Columbia, particularly their anthem "Everywhere That I'm Not." They release 4 albums in the 80's then quit, and reformed 26 years later to release another album, two best-ofs and a handful of new singles. One of their biggest inspirations was the Beatles, and they sounded so much like them, that many Beatles fan thought their 1983 cover of "Cry for a Shadow" was a new recording by the living members in time for the Beatles Anthology release in 1995.

Stand Out Track: Everywhere That I'm Not, Necessary Spinning, Everywhere

Links:
Wiki
Discogs
Allmusic
Steve Barton Music
Music Alternatives
Facebook Friends & Fans
Furious: Darlington Interview
Washington Times
Unrated Magazine 2018 Barton's solo albums interview
Cryptic Rock Barton Interview 2018
Alchetron
Stereo Embers Barton's 2018 release review/stream
Songfacts 2012 Barton Interview