Exploration's Last Great Prize
I'm really surprised that the recent mini-album by iLiKETRAiNS has come out virtually unnoticed, for they're one of my favourite bands around at the moment... and certainly one of the most interesting.
This is the stunning video for recent single 'Terra Nova' - charting Robert Falcon Scott's tragic & ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. Where they were not only beaten to The Pole by Roald Amundsen, but they all died for their trouble as well.
This is amongst the most moving 5 minutes in puppet cinema history:
Last year's 'A Rook House for Bobby' - which I mentioned in December, was easily in my top ten singles of last year. It really conveys the unimaginable burden Bobby Fischer must have felt as an unwilling pawn in the cold war.
"All this talk of a war,
well it's only a game.
All I ever wanted to do was play chess with you"
The MP3 i'm going to post is probably my favourite song by the band - and originally featured as the b-side to 'A Rook House for Bobby'. It's unlikely that many bands would have taken the nationalisation of the British railway system as inspiration for a song, however if you've ever felt that 'Progress' has actually turned out to be a step (or six steps) backwards you will be able to identify with the sentiments.
Reform. Reform.
Oh you are taking apart,
what we made with our hands and our hearts.
The chanting, beginning about half way through, is truly breathtaking. And seems to represent both the will of the people, and their helplessness in the relentless march of change.
iLiKETRAiNS - THE BEECHING REPORT
These three tracks all feature on 'Progress Reform', along with the equally excellent 'No Military Parade' and 'Stainless Steel' ('Please don't go in the kitchen, That's where the knives are. And I won't be held responsible')
Just to prove that they're not all about historical anti-heroes, here's the two-part video for their debut single 'Before The Curtains Close', where an obsessive, jealous stalker promises of his rival 'i'll extract his teeth and make them into a necklace for you. A small token to apologise for the pain i've put you through'
Then in part two he escapes from the asylum....
Basically this is some of the most compelling music i've ever heard, so go buy the album now before they achieve the enormous success that is sure to be coming their way.
This is the stunning video for recent single 'Terra Nova' - charting Robert Falcon Scott's tragic & ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. Where they were not only beaten to The Pole by Roald Amundsen, but they all died for their trouble as well.
This is amongst the most moving 5 minutes in puppet cinema history:
Last year's 'A Rook House for Bobby' - which I mentioned in December, was easily in my top ten singles of last year. It really conveys the unimaginable burden Bobby Fischer must have felt as an unwilling pawn in the cold war.
"All this talk of a war,
well it's only a game.
All I ever wanted to do was play chess with you"
The MP3 i'm going to post is probably my favourite song by the band - and originally featured as the b-side to 'A Rook House for Bobby'. It's unlikely that many bands would have taken the nationalisation of the British railway system as inspiration for a song, however if you've ever felt that 'Progress' has actually turned out to be a step (or six steps) backwards you will be able to identify with the sentiments.
Reform. Reform.
Oh you are taking apart,
what we made with our hands and our hearts.
The chanting, beginning about half way through, is truly breathtaking. And seems to represent both the will of the people, and their helplessness in the relentless march of change.
iLiKETRAiNS - THE BEECHING REPORT
These three tracks all feature on 'Progress Reform', along with the equally excellent 'No Military Parade' and 'Stainless Steel' ('Please don't go in the kitchen, That's where the knives are. And I won't be held responsible')
Just to prove that they're not all about historical anti-heroes, here's the two-part video for their debut single 'Before The Curtains Close', where an obsessive, jealous stalker promises of his rival 'i'll extract his teeth and make them into a necklace for you. A small token to apologise for the pain i've put you through'
Then in part two he escapes from the asylum....
Basically this is some of the most compelling music i've ever heard, so go buy the album now before they achieve the enormous success that is sure to be coming their way.
posted by headphonesex @ 10:13 PM
