ILIKETRAINS - The Shallows

Some call them post-rock, others new wave, others still neo-psychedelic. Probably all of these genres are present in the music of the English band iLiKETRAiNS, the Leeds outfit returning to the scene with the new “The Shallows” – a record that confirms the strengths and weaknesses that also marked their previous work.

If their music thrives on leaden atmospheres, through which only occasionally a shaft of light breaks, the same can be said of the verdict on their output.

Undoubtedly the group shows that it has the potential to write songs – above all “Mnemosyne”, which deftly blends the lyricism of the National, the elegance of the Tindersticks, and guitar riffs and rhythmic patterns in the style of Foals – yet it seems unable to maintain that same quality across the entire length of the disc.

On this new work, produced by Richard Formby (who also worked on the latest records by Wild Beasts), the aforementioned and excellent second track is joined by highlights such as “Beacons” and “Water/Sand”, while elsewhere the band tends to remain more anonymous, failing to fully capture attention – think of “The Hive”, “The Turning Of The Bones” and much of the closing stretch of the tracklist.

This should not suggest that these are bad compositions, but they lack that spark that makes you jump out of your seat, sounding instead too similar to far better-known names who move along these same coordinates with greater involvement and impact, first among them the National, but also Editors.

The album's stories tell of the conflict between man and the digital age, and this is subconsciously well captured in passages where the heart beats fiercely, while in others its pulse is faint.

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03/06/2012