Train drops Jupiter, gets boring
Published Feb. 21, 2006
ets the arrival of a new Train album with about as much enthusiasm as an 8 a.m. class. Both are events we question our involvement with and hope to have out of the way as quickly as possible. Does Train's fourth studio album, For Me, It's You, do anything to change this sentiment? The answer, unsurprisingly, is no.
The first thing you will notice about Train's fourth release is the lack of cheesy, bombastic choruses featured in the band's massive hits "Drops of Jupiter" and "Calling All Angels." On For Me, It's You, the anthems are ditched in favor of tighter production and a concerted effort to make an album, not just a bunch of arena-ready sing-alongs. The result is something akin to a poor man's Coldplay marrying Trey Anastasio, which on paper sounds promising. Despite the immaculate production, the album still falls flat.
The first problem is vocalist Patrick Monahan's lyrics, which sound universal but to the point of fault. Monahan attempts to write personal lyrics that can apply to everyone, but they sound dull instead of timeless.
Meanwhile, the instrumentation sounds less schmaltzy than in the past, but it is incredibly inconspicuous. Train's players are skilled musicians, but they leave us with nothing memorable. Even the bongos and Moog synthesizer in songs such as "Cab" and "I'm Not Waiting in Line" fail to excite. The instruments just fall to the back, serving little purpose other than a "Hey, look!" moment.
For Train, bland tracks aren't usually a problem. The guys in the band have never been guitar solo gods or rhythm section show-offs. They usually just used a chorus that stuck in your head for days to get the job done. Maybe this batch of songs is an attempt to gain critical respect or career longevity, but the band members are only shooting themselves in the foot.
Train has never been the most beloved of rock bands, but it still has sold millions of records. This trend more than likely will end with For Me, It's You. Obviously, the band tried to make an album and not just a singles collection.
Unfortunately, Train achieves this goal, and instead of sounding like a set of interconnected songs, the record sounds like one long song with no points of reference. The songs don't even need numbers or names.
Despite the album's overall inconspicuousness, a few tracks are still serviceable, if not memorable. The lead single "Cab" has a sentimental feel to it, and "Get Out" compares to Coldplay's "Clocks." Unfortunately, it is not nearly enough to save the album from the doldrums of adult-radio rock.
With For Me, It's You, Train has made a professional-sounding record. It is not an album that you'll loathe, but it is one that lacks any real stand-out moments. With this album, Train might pull into the station of mainstream relevance for the last time.