Tag Archive for 'I Like Trains'

I Like Pledge Music

Published on July 25, 2010 in Music. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Regular visitors will be aware that I’m quite a fan of a band called I Like Trains (formerly spelt iLiKETRAiNS). Quite a while ago now, they recorded the follow up to their debut album Elegies To Lessons Learnt. News went very quiet on the I Like Trains front at that point, which is perhaps no surprise given that they were no longer attached to a label, thus needed to work out how they were going to release the new album. Fast forward to earlier this month and the band announced that they were to raise money for the creation of a label ILR, but also the mixing and release of their second album He Who Saw The Deep and an accompanying tour. They are raising the money through the Pledge Music website and a portion of the proceeds from the fundraising for the project go to Friends of the Earth. The band weren’t simply asking for donations though, they were offering exclusive gifts, goodies and rewards to those willing to hand over their money. If the project target wasn’t met within a given timeframe, no money would be taken from anyone. They met their target in not much over 24 hours. Personally I pledged to purchase a signed personalised album and a hand bound and hand illustrated hardback lyrics book; both personalised to my other half. There were a number of offers which were, and are, difficult to turn down – not least a vinyl box set featuring all their releases to date and a b-sides and rarities disc. If I find myself with £100 to spare before pledges are halted, I know what I’m spendind it on…

It strikes me that this might be a very sensible way forward for smaller bands in the modern music industry. There are a number of bands with solid fanbases who might either struggle to be signed in the traditional label model, or not enjoy working within that framework. This kind of website allows bands to allow fans to purchase something which they’ll really appreciate and in the process fund the release of new material.

Since I started composing this post Grammatics not only announced that they were splitting up, but that they were funding the release of their final EP via Pledge Music due in part to the success of the I Like Trains project. For my part I snagged their new EP and also a rarities CD. In addition to the release of the EP they’re going to tour for a final time, I’ll aim to catch them when they’re in Scotland. Pledge Music has enabled this release, something which might not have happened otherwise. It seems like a lot of bands are repaing the benefits of this business model already.

Some Music I’ve Been Listening To

Published on April 17, 2010 in Music and video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Here are a few songs which have been bouncing around my head recently.

Dinosaur Pile-Up – Love Is A Boat, And We’re Sinking
I’ve actually loved this song for a good little while now. It’s just about as simple as you could hope for, a couple of finger picked guitars bouncing off each other, some bass and some cracking well defined drums. Oddly I don’t particularly like any other Dinosaur Pile-Up songs and this was only a b-side. Enjoy it here all the same.

Personally I’d probably have preferred had Matt Bigland’s old band Mother Vulpine stayed together instead. Their brilliantly named song Keep Your Wits Sharp (Her Words Are Quick) was something of a favourite of mine a few years back.

Rolo Tomassi – Party Wounds
Rolo Tomassi’s debut album was a fantastically noisy thing. They have this real ear for creating monstrous sounding songs, with moments of beautiful fragility. This is more of the same. It’s much more amusing when you imagine the growling coming out of the diminutive female singer’s mouth. That blindsided a few people when I saw them live. You can grab the track here.

65daysofstatic – Crash Tactics
This has been a real grower. When I first heard it I was slightly disoriented by it. Is this 65daysofstatic dumbing down? Are they targeting a more mainstream audience? Probably not, it’s a completely different sound, but it’s probably no more accessible. Once I got my head around it, it really whetted my appetite for the new album. Grab it here.

65daysofstatic – Tiger Girl
Tiger Girl really got me going. The new album sounds like it could be a cracker. This is a plus ten minute dance epic. It builds layer upon layer, in wave upon wave. By the time the drums are being piled on and the guitar kicks in the song turns into something really beautiful. It’s clearly the euphoric outro to the album. Here’s hoping everything else is as good. Check it out on The Hype Machine, then grab it here.

I Like Trains – When We Were Kings
Another band with an album due out this year, I Like Trains are coming on strong. With guitars that sound like they’ll crystalise your ear drums, Dave’s trademark deep vocals and ever dynamic drums, it’s a great taster of the new direction. The track features some delicate vocal harmonies and a stunning middle eight, before segueing into the brilliant refrain “We rise. We fall. We pitch. We Yaw. No sleep, no sleep, no sleep. Repeat”, the song certainly knows how to capture the attention of the listener. Check it out here.