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iLiKETRAiNS
Progress-Reform
Fierce Panda
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Article
written by Ged M
Jun 28, 2006.
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If iLiKETRAiNS set the National Curriculum for History, everyone would gain A*s. Polar exploration, the decimation of the railways, the Cold War as seen across a chess board, they can spin a great yarn and back it with an irresistible tune. That said, there’s a clear iLiKETRAiNS formula and it’s all over this 7-track mini album: a gentle opening, emphasising David Martin’s mournful voice and his powerful stories, that builds gradually towards a massive climax of storming guitars, with shades of Radiohead, Interpol and British Sea Power.
Opening track (and previous single) ‘Terra Nova’ tells of Scott’s doomed expedition to the South Pole, the unrelenting bass underlining the tragedy and the glacial sound painting a picture of endless desolation, that grows in scale until it ends in a blizzard of guitars. ‘No Military Parade’ is a coda to the first track, a musing on British failure, and again ends in a firestorm of sound. ‘A Rook House For Bobby’ tells the story of 70s pawn-pusher Bobby Fischer, and ‘Citizen’ is its sequel. The latter breaks the mould with its quiet contemplation and no big finish! Showing that not all songs are history lessons, ‘The Accident’ is an intriguing tale about a poisoning, told with piano and trumpet backing, while ‘Stainless Steel’ is another individual cameo – “they won’t make me out to be/ the monster you made me become”- that has an almost Pink Floyd effect within the climatic squall of guitars and electronica. The album ends with ‘The Beeching Report’ revealing their fascination with the pre-60s railway system.
As Pink Floyd stressed, there’s no place in rock’n’roll for education but there’s something about iLiKETRAiNS’ approach that fascinates with informative detail. It might take a few listens to embed the songs in your heart but that’s always been the sign of a band who can last for more than 3 minutes. And they sound nothing like the Libertines so that’s a recommendation squared!
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