Who knows why some bands remain cult favourites, whilst less talented artists go on to achieve all the trappings of success? In the case of Los Angeles’ Translator it’s a quandary made all the more perplexing as this was a band who had it all; the musical chops, a discography bursting with classic tunes and a smart, savvy lyricism. In fact, it was the latter that was their Achilles’s Hell; in our pop culture where things tend to get flattened out Translator were probably too cerebral, yet for those in the know they were a musical (Pandora’s) box overflowing with neat ideas. If proof were required to the band’s power then it can be found in Beyond Today: Live At The Farm, San Francisco 1986, a live set that captures the band in all their sonic glory and could finally garner some mainstream accolades.

On what was billed as Translator’s last ever gig (and it was, for a while at least), the evening of 16th June 1986 at the legendary Farm venue was both sombre and celebratory. The band’s decision to fold had caused ripples of consternation on the scene, but it also made this gig an unmissable affair and the crowd, placed prominently on this recording, certainly create a raucous backdrop. However, Translator appear in typically understated fashion with ‘Beyond Today’, a balm sent to soothe those hurting at the band’s decision to split. It’s with the following ‘Necessary Spinning’ that the band really hit their stride, it is spiky, angular and futuristic, like a Philip K. Dick novel or the soundtrack to a David Lynch film. Otherworldly, but sinister, it pulls back the thin veneer that separates this world from the next and offers a frightening glimpse of what lies beyond.

There’s something very Metal Box-era Public Image Limited about songs such as ‘Nothing Is Saving Me’ (think the likes of ‘Pop Tones’) and when you factor in disturbing, existentialist lyrics, you have a discombobulating affair that’s somewhat sweetened by a love of Merseybeat and Californian folk rock. While Translator are kind enough to wear their influences on their collective sleeve, the great thing is that they sound like no one but themselves and become a musical chameleon that shapeshifts from the heavy metal punch of ‘O Lazarus’ to the swirling psychedelia of ‘New Song’, all without missing a beat. It is stitched together by its own eclecticism and never fails to throw up surprises (such as the harmonica on ‘Standing In Line’…where the hell did that come from?). It’s the type of diversified set that could only come from a bunch of musicians who are comfortable in their own company and the chemistry these four share verges on telepathy. If proof were needed then look no further than the time changes and sudden stops that pepper their songs, all of which made their decision to call time on their career all the more puzzling, but as final track, a cover of ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, amply proves, they were bowing out on a high.

My only (minor) complaint with these live tracks is the fading in and out between songs, with the huge white spaces abruptly stopping the flow of a live gig and breaking the spell which the band cast. After a lengthy hiatus, Translator returned with the well received album Big Green Lawn and the two studio bonus cuts are an extension of that record, and as ‘With Your Dreams’ swirls into the ether, finds the band toasting the past and raising a glass to the future.

• Beyond Today: Live At The Farm, San Francisco 1986 is released via Liberation Hall and is available here.

Track List:

1. Beyond Today
2. Necessary Spinning
3. Everywhere
4. Nothing Is Saving Me
5. Gravity
6. Standing In Line
7. Drum Solo/Puzzles/Favorite Drug
8. O Lazarus
9. New Song
10. These Old Days
11. Everywhere That I’m Not
12. Roll Over Beethoven
13. These Days To Come *
14. With Your Dreams *

* Bonus Studio Tracks