ALBUM REVIEW: iLiKETRAiNS – "Elegies to Lessons Learnt"

First published: 2007-12-13

I loved iLiKETRAiNS' debut EP. So much so that I've lazily recycled some of my thoughts on it for this piece on their debut album proper. But you won't tell, right?

Leeds five-piece iLiKETRAiNS are such fans of all things historical that they've probably got posters of Oliver Cromwell on their bedroom walls. Not only does this album deal with assassinated 19th century politicians and long-forgotten wars, but it’s practically a one-band shoegazing revival – talk about living in the past. And could there be any nerdier prospect than that of a history lesson from a bunch of FX pedal obsessives?

The answer's yes: a maths lesson from Stephen Hawking would probably fit the bill. In his absence though, iLiKETRAiNS do a good job of bringing a bit of intellect to the sort of darkly beautiful epics previously peddled by Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Foreboding vocals give way to walls of shimmering reverb on Twenty Five Sins, while Death of an Idealist is the best funeral march you'll hear this year.

On repeated spins however, Lessons Learnt’s eleven tracks ultimately succumb to the same problem as many nerds (and, indeed, post-rock bands): droning on too long, and generally being a bit dull.

They showed great promise. But in the end, they failed. Just like Napoleon's army in the Battle of Leipzig, the band would probably want me to add.