#last train

[balkanparamo]

The Last Train Bound for Nowhere

[thisworldisablackhole]

Last Train III

🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

FFO: POST-GRUNGE BLUES ROCK / LISTEN

I must have missed the last train. This band formed in Altkirch, France, in 2007, when the members were barely teenagers, and though they have since shared stages on tour with groups like Muse and Placebo, they have seemingly seen little fan-fare outside of Europe. Hopefully this record changes that.

While Last Train's earlier material was more indebted to the classic blues rock of the 70s (perhaps more by proxy of Jack White than anything else), they have been slowly allowing more post-grunge and alternative metal influences to bleed into their music as their personal tastes evolve. Last Train, in their current form, sound just as at home on arena stages as they would on the soundtrack of your favourite millennial-aged action sports video game—right alongside the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, Rage Against the Machine, and Nine Inch Nails, but with a tasteful modernity and nods to noise and post-rock that might get an eyebrow raise from even the pickiest of subculture dorks. In 2024, the group even dabbled in composing an orchestral film score, and while they don’t consider that album to be part of the Last Train canon, the experience no doubt strengthened their ear for atmosphere and dramatics—two things that play a vital role in the dynamic flow of their third official full-length.

III is by far the closest the group has come to chiseling out a characteristic identity for themselves. In a way, the simple numerical title juxtaposed over a gaping mouth feels like a purposeful understatement to imply the music on this album should speak for itself. And it does.

"Home" opens the record unassumingly enough, with a quiet kick drum accompanied by Jean-Noël Scherrer's francophone-accented croon, but the band quickly reveals their ulterior motive with punctuations of granite slate guitars that tease the rhythm into a nervous breakdown. Much to the dismay of my raucous punk upbringing, my aging ears are increasingly fascinated by groups who are able to step back from their amps just far enough to see LOUDNESS as one tool in a roll of tools—a gift to be nurtured and preserved for the right moment, and Last Train knows this well. They have dialed in the tone and texture of said loudness to make sure it justifies any stretch of reflective melody in between, whether it's the stank-face-inducing bass tone that reveals itself in the snot-nosed and snarling "All To Blame", or the feedback that wraps itself around the negative closer "I Hate You" like a barbed wire anaconda. I can't stress enough how effective the production is at bringing a chilled industrial heaviness to this otherwise tried-and-true rock record.

And speaking of reflective melody, III would be nothing without tracks like "How Does It Feel?", "This Is Me Trying", and "Revenge" to balance the equilibrium with tranquil piano keys and glacial tremolos, transforming the album into a brooding rock opera televised from the surface of some lost and frozen exoplanet. III is haunted by a poltergeist of anger that is very meticulous about when it allows itself to show (often by flipping a table or blowing a gasket), but it is almost always felt bubbling beneath the surface; even these softer songs convey a sense of sorrow that is often the harbinger of rage if left unchecked.

Now, take any song from this record in isolation, and it might not be something you'd rush to write home about, but in the context of a full modern rock album, they are absolutely refreshing and vital to the experience. And though the undulating formula of the tracklist might run a little dry by the end of the record, especially as the closing duo halts our momentum and takes way too long to get back up to speed, Last Train has still managed to create a memorable statement here. It's arena rock for crumbling coliseums in the solemn heart of winter—not a revolution, but it's beautiful… and loud.

[rastronomicals]

9:24 PM EDT September 28, 2023:

Yes - "Last Train" From the box set In A Word: Yes (July 30, 2002)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

This is an outtake from the Magnification sessions, released for the first time as part of this set

[astra1a]

Last train

01 / 52

[musicmags]

[myearspleasure]

VENDREDI 31 JANVIER 2025

RORY GALLAGHER - THE BEST OF RORY GALLAGHER AT THE BBC

LAST TRAIN - III

[piasgermany]

[Video] Last Train teilen Video zu "One By One"!

Das neue Album "III" von Last Train aus Lyon, das diesen Freitag über [PIAS] Recordings France erscheint, ist ein Ausdruck von roher Wut. Aufgenommen in einem bröckelnden, ungeheizten Schloss, kanalisieren die Songs die Frustration in melodiösen Rock mit emotionaler Tiefe.

Nach "Home" und "The Plan" gibt es kurz vor Release noch einen weiteren neuen Song. Mit der Single "One By One" fühlt man sich direkt in den Proberaum der französischen Band um Sänger Jean-Noel Scherrer versetzt: schrille Rückkopplungen, druckvolle Drums und dominante Bässe. Darin verdeutlicht die Band: Die Welt dreht sich weiter, ganz egal ob mit oder ohne uns – was auch im Video zum Song thematisch mit den Kamerafahrten eingearbeitet wird.

Live: 07.04.2025 Köln - Bumann & Sohn 09.04.2025 Hamburg - Headcrash  10.04.2025 Berlin - Kantine am Berghain 11.04.2025 München - Strom 12.04.2025 Karlsruhe - Substage Booking in DE: KKT

[witekspicsoldpostcards2]

ENGLAND -> fantasy / funny / humorous post card -> Cowes Isle of Wight.

[thisworldisablackhole]

Listening Log January 2025

Totally skipped December but I'm trying to get back on the rails here. I've honestly just been enjoying some quiet time over the winter. December and January are busy months for me, so I've been prioritizing rest in my down time, and the new year is slow for new music anyway. That being said, here are some albums that came out in January:

genre: metalcore

It's nice to see some bands that have been kicking around for a minute finally blossom and receive their flowers. I consider Tragedy of the Commons to be on par with the last 156/Silence and LMTF records in the way of “tasteful derivativeness”. Clearly looking back to that ~2010 Warped Tour era of metalcore but through a matured lens, putting a few cool spins on the formula and sprouting some grey hairs in the process. If you don't already have a soft spot for melodic metalcore, this album won't win you over, but the exceptional riffs and vocal performance certainly make this release stand out in a sea of microplastic pollution.

genre: post-hardcore

Vacant Home are really doing a solid for everyone who still loves that ~2010 style of emotional hardcore that blew up with bands like Pianos Become The Teeth, and Defeater. Throaty yells and pretty post-rock guitars that blur into charging down-stroked power chords — the classic ingredients are here, but this is the best I've heard them assembled in a long time. There's just an urgency to Vacant Home's music that feels genuine and worth listening to.

genre: post-metal "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

The first sentence of William Gibson's 1984 cyberpunk classic, Neuromancer. Also the title of the first song on this record. Combined with the fact that the band itself is named after a 1994 cyberpunk point-and-click PC game, and the album cover features the dark and tightly packed corridor of a dense urban sprawl, it's pretty easy to pick up what the band is putting down, at least aesthetically. There is nothing overtly sci-fi about Beneath a Steel Sky's music, but Cleave does excel in conveying a sense of detachment, isolation and sorrow that are implicit in a hypertech world (perhaps one we are already familiar with). It's in this way that Beneath a Steel Sky manages to create post-metal landscapes that feels so close to the heart. I think fans of Devil Sold His Soul should check this out pronto.

genre: harp-prog or whatevs

Emily Hopkins (youtube's favourite harpist and effect pedal reviewer) has teamed up for a surprise collaborative EP with Chris Allison, most notably recognized for his work with jazz-fusion outfit Plini, and Dan Briggs, the low-end groove technician of Between the Buried and Me fame. Together, this harp, bass, and drum trio offers up a fresh and ethereal take on instrumental progressive-ambient-harp-jazz… metal? Yeah. Read my full review if you want.

genre: rock

I am not familiar with this group's previous work at all — despite sharing stages with acts like Muse and Placebo, they have seemingly not received much fanfare outside of Europe — but these guys have clearly mastered the art of knowing the right tools for the right job. This album is full of impressive dynamic sensibilities and restraint. III is haunted by a poltergeist of anger that is very meticulous about when it allows itself to show, although it is almost always felt bubbling beneath the surface. There are some noise and post-rock elements going on, but at its core this is a tried and true rock album. Excellent.

genre: metalcore

I haven't listened to STYG since The Hope Division came out in 2010, but I don't regret my ignorance of their output since then — now is probably the best time ever to jump back in to being a fan. Keep Planting Flowers retains almost everything I remember loving about this band back in the day. They have put a distinct stamp on the way they balance the line between melodic hardcore and metal, so while they aren't exactly pushing any boundaries for themselves, this album is about as tight and focused as you can get, and unmistakably STYG.

genre: grindviolence/metalcore

Athousandangelsandseven's debut EP is an absolutely maniacal and violent mash of everything-core that refuses to rest on the laurels of its influence or become complacent. This is one of the most refreshing takes on chaotic screamo that I've heard in a long time, and one of the things that really sets it apart is how well it's produced. These songs are absolutely blistering, with nailgun riffs flying at you faster than you can keep track, but every skronk and stab of the guitar comes through so clear in the mix, making sure none of the bands character is obscured. This is a band to keep an eye on, mark my words.

genre: indie-folk

UK based singer-songwriter John Patrick Elliot wrote, produced and recorded this album as a celebration of life. Whether that was the birth of his new baby boy, or the shedding of Winter's frost to Spring's evergreen, February Songs really embodies that sense of light coming into your life and filling you with warmth. This album is a slow burn at times, but it's beautiful, full of heart and atmosphere.

genre: black metal/shoegaze

Calling Pale a blackgaze band almost seems unfair. You just can't put this band in a box, no matter how many prefixes and suffixes you add to it. I have never heard Pale before this, but this album reached in directions I absolutely did not expect. Black metal, shoegaze, hardcore, and noise elements are all combined in a creative way, but the most surprising aspect of the album has to be the NWOBHM influence. I absolutely did not see those classic heavy metal riffs or clean vocals coming on "Almost Transparent Blue". Probably not my favourite moment on the record, but it shows how far Pale are willing to go to avoid being pigeonholed, and I respect the hustle.

genre: emo

weet Pill revisits some choice cuts from their last EP and their 2022 debut LP. This EP is far from a lazy collection of "stripped down" acoustic songs to fulfill label contracts (although I'm kind of suspicious of how much Hopeless is pushing them to release content). No, Sweet Pill really sat down, fully deconstructed these songs, expanded upon and created new stretches of space in the arrangements, and then pieced them back together into something wholly revitalized. Sweet Pill used this EP as an opportunity to flex their chemistry and venture into new territory that would be really cool to see applied to new material. Bravo.

[southpauz]

DO YOU BLEED?

[rastronomicals]

11:56 AM EDT October 1, 2024:

Yes - "Last Train" From the box set In A Word: Yes (July 30, 2002)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

This is an outtake from the Magnification sessions, released for the first time as part of this set

[quixoticprince]

So how's playing tf2 again going?

I basically picked up where I left off I suck lol