Warning: another dramatic pic of an English band frontin’ in the countryside.
iLiKETRAiNS hail from Leeds, England. I’ve been giving their 2 EPs, the 7 song Progress Reform and Terra Nova out on Fierce Panda some heavy listens the past couple of months. Plus I was surprised to see that they’re coming to SXSW, definitely a band I wanna check out when I’m down there.
Slo-core, shoe-gaze, flurries of post-punk and vaulting guitar solos is how I would describe their style. Their gloomy outlook makes you wanna slit your wrist (but in a good way). Their intricate but cryptic lyrics range the gamut from exciled chess champion Bobby Fischer in ‘A Rook House For Bobby’ to ‘The Beeching Report’, about the English railway reforms of the 1930s. They’re like a postpunk version of The Decemberist headed by Paul Banks who build up their sound through tension. The song ‘Stainless Steel’ has a soaring bridge laden with guitar feedback that goes for a whole 3 minutes. For me, singer Dave Martin sounds like the guy from Baxendale (Ha!).
I enjoy this review note: “…these guys sound like they’re more serious than anyone else currently making music on this planet, Thom Yorke and Carlos Dengler included.” [more] Their single/album Spencer Perceval comes out on Beggars Banquet in March. Definitely one to see during SXSW.
iLiKETRAiNS - Stainless Steel (clip)
iLiKETRAiNS - A Rook House For Bobby (clip)
More clips here.
Listen to more songs on Myspace.
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whew! thanks for the warning. i almost glazed over thinking it was coldplay posing in the hills again.