Few bands would dare to incorporate Irish economic history, word play, and progressive rock into one single song–but Transgalactica is not most bands. This father-son Krakow, Polish, duo has made something truly unique with Joyce of the Market, a song, both intellectually ambitious and musically fascinating.
The very title of the song is a play on words, implying that Ireland made its literary Joyce, who was tormented, change into the joys of market success in the modern time. However, this is not mere wordplay per se–the whole song serves as a parallel history of Ireland and Poland, discussing the economic transformation in the perspective of progressive rock that recalls the golden age of this genre.
The first thing that catches the eye is the musical art. Transgalactica uses the themes of the Irish national anthem and shifts them to minor, which creates a familiar and disturbing atmosphere. The allusions to the The Lamia of Genesis in its fifths and Deep Purple in the parts about the rock are not homage, but a part of the narrative structure of the song.
It is a mix of alternative punk power and hard rock and metallic intensity with a wonderful sonic landscape, which is both rustic and modern at the same time. The guitar playing is remarkable, and it gives the song multiple layers of depth without taking away the tense, metallic nature of the song. The vocals, which are refreshing and energetic, emphasize the special interrelationship between father and son, and it gives emotional significance to what would otherwise be a purely cerebral performance.
Having been influenced by the likes of symphonic rock masters Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd and King Crimson, and the classical music of Bach, Prokofiev et al, Transgalactica demonstrates that progressive rock is not at all out of ideas to explore the grandiose without losing its musical value. Joyce of the Market is intelligent, inspirited, and invigoratingly ambitious–evidence that brains and dynamite do not necessarily keep apart.
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