Album Review

I Like Trains – The Deception

• 12th Sep 2007

Don’t let the seemingly half dreamt band name fool you. These guys are going to be massive! Comparisons to Sigur Ros, Low and all those other epically sweeping bands of enviable depth and intrigue have been made. Comments including words like genius have been, prematurely or otherwisely uttered.

However you perceive I Like Trains (ILT) and their as yet unrealised but hinted at potential, there is no argument to be made of their righteous place in the music world or of their taking it.

‘The Deception’ tells the tale of an all around the world yachtsman sailing blindly to his unforeseen doom. HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY. With what I feel is a sound more akin to the likes of Divine Comedy merging with ‘A Different Class’ era Pulp, the song somehow absorbs as it alienates. Does it drag its heels a little, as it works its sumptuous way to the close…maybe?

Instrumental ‘Joshua’ follows, serving up one hell of sonic slice of sugar pie! If morphine fuelled Secret Machines dropped out and didn’t quite fade away, this is what you could probably expect to hear.

‘Victress’ closes this single with an Interpol worthy song not dissimilar enough from track 1 to warrant its own comments. Sorry! Although it does contain the lyrics ‘Elegies to lessons learnt’ which form the title of ILTs forthcoming and dare I say unmissable LP.

What I‘m really looking forward to are some sweet remixes to provide an alternate edge or finish to their already solid but slightly predictable sound. Fussy get aren’t I?! Lets get maybe Death in Vegas, Polyphonic Spree or to dream a little, the now reformed (the) Verve. Yeah right Ant!