Have you ever been so mesmerized by a song you heard on the radio, or saw a band perform on TV, that you just had to have that CD this instant, regardless of what the other songs were like? Normally, I would label that an extremely rash and foolhardy purchase, but in the case of Train’s latest CD, this is exactly what happened to me. I saw the band perform their hit single “Drops of Jupiter” this past Monday on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and I related so much to the lyrics, and found myself seduced by its playful tune, and then Jay had to go and announce that Columbia Records was offering a money-back guarantee on the album. That did it. I had to have the CD. I tried to find what I could on Napster before rushing off to Best Buy after work the next day, but as many of us know, that’s rather difficult these days. All I could get was the first track (and likely the second radio single), “She’s on Fire” (purposefully mislabeled as “She’s All Wet”), which I liked enough to further pique my interest in the band.
Now, keep in mind that I have long been more than sick of the band’s first hit, “Meet Virginia”, from their debut album. Sure, it’s not a bad song, but I didn’t think it merited the insane amounts of overplay it got, and due to the noted lack of a follow-up single from the band (at least, on L.A. radio stations, which isn’t really Train’s fault), I wrote Train off as a one-hit wonder. I’d hear the song (which reminded me of Tracy Chapman, oddly enough), and each time I’d ask out loud, “Doesn’t Train have any other songs?” Then the new album and single came along, and it sounded catchy, but I had never paid attention to the words until they played on Leno. (I just don’t listen to the local radio station much any more for reasons like the overplaying of “Meet Virginia”.) And I immediately regretted writing the band off. So, I now have the album in my hand, and it’s the last of the five days in which I can legitimately return the album and get my fourteen bucks back. And frankly, I don’t want my money back. So I guess I have to tell you why now.
She’s on Fire
And if I could be inside her light, I would steal enough to make my way into the night…
As I mentioned above, this playful rocker will likely be the second single released from the album. It’s an enjoyable number about a girl who apparently has a rather dazzling personality that the singer just can’t get enough of (or at the very least, a great figure, but I’d like to think there’s more to it than that). It’s pretty much a simple song singing this girl’s praises, and lamenting that the world doesn’t seem as bright when she’s not around. However, it’s not so much a pining-away, wishing-I-had-your-love song like you might expect from a boy band, as it is a nod to a person who simply lights up a room when she enters. We’ve all met those kind of people who just make us tingle when they choose to interact with us. The only thing that troubles me about this song is the opening line: “Well, this is just between us, but between us, let’s get high.” I’m assuming it’s a metaphor and not a drug reference, but in either case, I’m certainly glad that it’s the only bothersome lyric on the entire album.
I Wish You Would
I don't know if I'm gonna have to redesign my mind, but tonight I made a wish and I sure hope that it comes true, ‘cause it's been too long without you…
This is more subtle, but still a solid track, thanks to some rather predictable but solid drumming from a Scott Underwood, and the addition of a harmonica and some “doo-doo-doo-doo” background vocals from the band. It seems to be about two lovers who want to make things work, but seem to need each other to change a bit in order to stay together. It seems they’ve been fighting, and lead singer Pat Monahan has a certain recognition in this voice that “All I do is promise to change my ways”, because he knows that staying the same person isn’t worth losing the one he loves. The chorus is a little repetitive, musically, speaking, but still effective and memorable, if more understated than “She’s on Fire”.
Drops of Jupiter
Tell me, did Venus blow your mind? Was it everything you wanted to find?
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?
This is definitely the anchor track on the album, starting off with its syncopated piano lines, and soon joined by Pat’s weathered vocals: “Now she’s back in the atmosphere with drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey.” Some might criticize the band for opting for more slick production on this – it’s filled out by less acoustic pop/rock sound, complete with strings. But it fits the mood of the song – the rest of the album is more down-to-earth, but this song is dedicated to a friend or lover of some sort who has been on a life-changing journey to a place that seems as far away as outer space. I’ll admit that my love for this song comes out of extreme bias – my girlfriend is one of those people with sky-high dreams, and she’s been on a trip to Greece for the last three weeks, something she’s dreamed of doing all her life, and I wonder if she’ll be happy with normal life back in L.A. when she returns. That seems to be what Pat is singing about here, though the subject is under debate. All I know is that the lyrics were so disarming, so accurately describing how small I felt. Ultimately, the song underscores the importance of having familiar things to return to – against the backdrop of “Dancing on the light of day” or “Falling for a shooting star” make everyday things like “Deep-fried chicken” or “The best soy latte that you ever had” look insignificant, but those everyday things turn out to be the marks of a “Freeze-dried romance” that never faded while she was gone. Man, I love this song, and I’m so glad I’m not listening to the radio constantly these days, because I’d hate to ever get sick of it.
It’s About You
But keeping you ain't easy, with everyone that sees me telling me get back on the ground…
Okay, back down to Earth, to the more acoustic style that makes Train stick. This is a slower track, but not quite a ballad. It’s got a decent percussive backbone, complemented by a nice acoustic guitar line and subtle background vocals (presumably from the rest of the band) during the chorus. There are some more atmospheric keyboard effects in the back ground, but not enough to detract from the rootsy nature of the song. Pat seems to be exploring all the cons of a relationship that he’s caught up in, rationalizing everything else by saying that the focus is on her, and he just wants her to be happy, and forget all the other rational stuff. I’m not sure whether this is meant to be seen as a healthy relationship or not, but he seems happy enough with it: “When I get this feeling, it’s hard for me to come back down.”
Hopeless
You don't need my pictures on your wall, you say you need no one, and you don't need my secret midnight call, I guess you need no one…
As you might guess from the title, this is one of the sadder songs on the album. It starts with just an acoustic guitar and a really lovely chord sequence before everyone else joins in, and mostly, it’s a fairly standard acoustic rock ballad. Pat seems to be crying over a lover who let him slip away, and he’s not sure whether it’s worth trying to win her back. He’s not sure if she wants to be with anyone at the present moment, and all he can do is resign himself to the fact that “Time will tell if it’s Heaven or it’s hell.”
Respect
I watched me push you down in dreams I had of you, and all I remember about those days is I would run around thinking that you'd be alright…
Ah, here’s what we needed! This is another upbeat rocker, a little more straight-laced than the quirky “She’s on Fire”. Its message is a little more serious, so that makes sense. From the title, it’s obvious that many people will immediately think of Aretha Franklin’s classic song of the same name. But instead of “sock it to me”, the message here seems to be “I’m sorry I didn’t sock it to you.” In other words, Pat is thinking back upon people that he treated badly in the past, realizing that they never did anything to merit that treatment, and he’s filled with regret. But he uses that regret to make a strong, if somewhat simple, social statement: “Everybody needs a little respect, everybody needs a little time.”
Let It Roll
And all you ever wanted for me was the time to understand, and all I ever wanted for you was to see me shining for you…
The start of the song definitely fits the title, with a “rolling” drum cadence and some more upfront, bell-like keyboards. It then morphs into a gentle, almost straight-ahead country (without the twangy vocals) type song that turns out to be about the death of Pat’s mother, which apparently occurred during the making of this album. He seems to be struggling with memories, and sadness over things not being quite right in their relationship when she died. Perhaps it’s intentional that this song went right after “Respect”, as a specific example of somebody Pat wishes he had treated better, but I can’t say for sure. It’s a pretty song, if a bit subdued, and though its chorus is slightly repetitive (something which bogs down the back half of the album a bit), the song sets a nice watery mood, like the “rolling” of a gentle river, which will later be revisited.
Something More
Feels like I'm wasting my time, hanging on this same old line, got to get you off of my mind…
Okay, now we’re starting to wallow in regret a bit much. It worked in the last couple songs, but the theme here is rather despondent. I like the strings and the somewhat mischievous piano at the intro, which led me to think at first that this might be a darker musical interpretation of “Drops of Jupiter”, but despite a playful drums rhythm that kicks in, this song never really picks up steam the way I wish it would. I will say that it adequately captures the mood of someone who has been dumped (and likely not for the first time) – the agony of trying to “Get you off of my mind”, and the lack of motivation to do much of anything: “Guess I’ll sleep another hour.” But I suppose I was hoping from the title that the song would be about something a little deeper.
Whipping Boy
I find that even time well spent gets bent if you need it to…
This one has a harsher rock atmosphere, but it still doesn’t quite break free of the more downcast feel of the last song. In some ways, it reminds me of a few of the tracks on Lifehouse’s No Name Face album that wanted to rock out but weren’t fast enough to really achieve that effect. The theme here seems to be a verbally abusive relationship, or perhaps just the weariness after dealing with a continually needy friend. Pat seems wounded as he sings, but he still tells her to “Lay all you want on me, I’ll be your whipping boy.” I like the “I can’t get up” bridge, but overall, the song seems a bit repetitive, and the lyrics don’t tell me as much of the scenario as I’d like to know.
Getaway
You should have let him getaway, but your pride made you ride on this slide by his side to his lies…
This track is a lovely mixture of smoothness and grit. The rhythm is a very fluid 6/8, and the tune is almost something I’d expect from the classier end of the R&B genre. The song floats along nicely on this rhythm, given just enough grit by the electric guitar, and Pat’s vocal, which really lets go on this one, much like a blues singer would. Alas, when he sings “I know this is how I could be over you, you know this is not another waste of time”, I’m tempted to think it’s another retread of the subject matter in “Something More”, but there is something prettier at work in the song structure here. It’s positioned quite well as the penultimate track, even if I find myself wishing for a different lyrical source than the story of lost love.
Mississippi
She's the one that makes me fall, midnight moon shines through it all…
The CD closes with this track, led by a simple, understated beat and guitar, accentuated occasionally by a few notes from a trumpet (which I believe is being played by Pat). Train seems to have a penchant for a few things: Naming songs after states (see “Meet Virginia” and “Idaho” on their last album), which invokes a feeling of traveling in many of their songs; and creating a musical backdrop which is at once watery and earthy. Though the music is subtle and the lyrics are minimal, this song is very successful at painting a certain mood. The trumpet especially accentuates the longing Pat seems to be feeling for that special someone, referred to allegorically as “Mississippi” (the river, not the state), who seems to flow to everyone else, but not him. In some ways, it’s a sadder reflection of “She’s on Fire”, and it brings the album full circle, since most of it seems to deal with lovers or friends who just don’t seem to be on the same page. Maybe I’m trying a little too hard to stamp a theme on the album, but hey, that’s the impression that it gives me. It also reminds me in some ways of "River Constantine", the gentle closing track on Jars of Clay's If I Left the Zoo. I should note the lovely female background vocals near the end of this song – they’re provided by Fleming McWilliams, who makes up one half of the Christian rock duo Fleming & John.
The album is nicely supplemented by a multimedia portion that plays an entertaining video showing bits and pieces of the making of the album, as well as little bios of each of the band members. This helped me to gain insight on some of the songs and the personalities of the band members (though Pat Monahan has to be joking when he says he’s 73… right?), and it proves to be a nice little nugget for fans of the group, adding to the worth of the CD as opposed to downloading mp3’s online. (In a strange twist, I was thinking due to the Southern rock styling of the album that Train reminded me a lot of the Christian band Third Day, and it turns out that they’ve both recorded at Southern Tracks on their most recent studio albums.)
Even if the CD has its flaws and drags a bit in the back half, it’s still worth picking up and checking out for yourself. With the money-back guarantee, you might as well make the investment, and if all you end up liking is the hit single, you can turn it back in and go get the “Drops of Jupiter” single CD (assuming there is one, but I’d think there would have to be) and know you’re not missing out. Columbia Records made a wise business move with that guarantee, because most folks who buy the album probably aren’t going to go to the trouble of actually returning it unless they hate it. It shows their confidence in Train (and any other artists for which Columbia has offered the guarantee), that there’s “something more” to their albums than just a few hit singles.
TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY
Excellent: Drops of Jupiter, I Wish You Would
Good: She's on Fire, Hopeless, Let It Roll, Getaway, Mississippi
Decent: It's About You, Respect
Weak: Something More, Whipping Boy
Skippable: NONE
Band Members:
Pat Monahan: Vocals, Trumpet, Sax, Vibes, Percussion
Jimmy Stafford: Guitars, Mandolin, Vocals
Rob Hotchkiss: Guitars, Bass, Harmonica, Vocals
Scott Underwood: Drums, Keyboards, Programming, Percussion
Charlie Colin: Bass, Guitar, Vocals
Website: http://www.trainline.com
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