Tuesday, April 29, 2008

iLiKETRAiNS - Elegies to Lessons Learnt (J)


iLiKETRAiNS...the name looks pretentious and artsy, right? Well, it is, but these guys sure make some great music. Blending post-rock with classic shoegaze and "slowcore," a genre that includes the likes of Low, Spokane, and Dirty Three. The atmospheres on this cd are unmatched, solid, and mournful. The vocals compliment the atmosphere very nicely, the singer having very Jim Morrison-esque qualities (baritone). One can notice instruments such as violin, cello, and brass instruments adding depth to songs during the steriotypical, albeit powerful, post-rock buildups.

These songs have a very personal feel to them, with layer upon layer of folksy melodies and harmonies with simple percussion
keeping a steady beat. As mentioned earlier, iLiKETRAiNS is associated with the "slowcore" movement, so don't expect any fast or upbeat songs on this release.

I expect good things to come from this band in the future, and they already have a few EPs and LPs under their belts to solidify that claim, though I think that this cd could use a little variance to keep it from being lost in a sea of similar sounding post-rock.
Songs to check out:

We All Fall Down
Death of an Idealist
Spencer Perceval

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