iLiKETRAiNS--Progress Reform

iLiKETRAiNS has two things that infuriate me. The first is their name, which leads to inevitable cursing when trying to type it out correctly. Most aggravating of all though, is the horrifying vocals that are plastered over an otherwise beautiful album.

The album is full of softly haunting shoegaze-esque guitar licks, steaming into and through symbol crashes and climactic moments of instrumental bliss. ILiKETRAiNS employs the type of pure masterful playing that pits one or two guitars, a drum, a bass, and the listener’s ear together without dance dance beats, annoyingly overabundant effects. Songs like the eight minute "STAiNLESS Steel" (yes there’s that blasted spelling style again) are pure ecstasy to an ear inclined to pure indie guitar solos.

The album loses face when vocalist Dave Martin shows his. He has a deep bass voice that clashes with the airy simplicity of the instrumentals. When his voice is first heard on the opening track "Terra Nova" it is almost laughable. Here we have a stripped down version of My Bloody Valentine, being plastered over by a voice that belongs singing gospel hymns.

Credit is due however for the extremely well done and haunting piece "The Beechin Report" that ends with all instruments stripped away, leaving only Martin’s chanting voice backed by more Martin-styled singers. The listener is shown the talent of the vocalist, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that the same talent has mucked up otherwise brilliant songs.

If you can get past the odd vocals (and the odd spellings) you’ll eat "Progress Reform" right up. As for me, iDONTLiKE.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)