I’ve never been a big fan of the band Train. Honestly, I’m not even familiar enough with their work to call myself a fan. All I know is that I absolutely love their hit songs “Meet Virginia” and “Drops of Jupiter.” Unfortunately, I don’t have any of their albums so reviewing Train’s latest release “Save Me, San Francisco” will pretty much just stick to the musical/lyrical aspect as opposed to comparing to their previous releases.
The beginning of the album sees the San Francisco natives experimenting with their sound. The title track is also the first track of the album and it has a country feel to it. You almost feel like you’re sitting in a saloon with the saloon-style piano in the background. There is also a choir, organs and some twangy guitars.
Next, “Hey, Soul Sister” (which serves as the album’s first single) doesn’t have a country feel to it, but it definitely plays with the pop aspect of alternative music. It reminds me of something Jason Mraz would write and features a ukulele, organ and piano. There’s no snare to overpower the soft feel these instruments are giving, but the bass drum and various shakers are a very nice touch. Lead singer Pat Monahan’s voice is still lovable like it was in those hits I mentioned above and being a hopeless romantic, I can’t help but love this cheesy ass line: “The way you can cut a rug, watching you’s the only drug I need/So gangsta, I’m so thug/You’re the only one I’m dreaming of, you see/I can be myself now finally, in fact there’s nothing I can’t be/I want the world to see you be with me.” Now, I know that gangsta/thug line is thrown in the middle of nowhere but overall, it’s damn cute and I love this song!
“Parachute” sees the band ditching the genre experimentation and getting back to the alternative sound that we heard all through the 90s. The strong distorted guitars, big drums and drawn out chorus make for the perfect recipe for all those hits you heard on alternative radio stations.
About halfway through the album, you’ll find that much of the songs feature piano and/or organs and strings. “This Ain’t Goodbye” features all of these but is really nothing spectacular except for the musical aspect of the song is very beautiful.
“If It’s Love” is a relatively enjoyable listen but they lyrics are pretty cheesy … So much so that even I think they’re cheesy! The quick drum beat and slightly distorted guitars in the beginning set up for a mid-tempo mediocre song.
A nice little change of pace can be found in “You Already Know.” Of course there are the always favorable strings but there is a faster snare drum that speeds up the tempo a bit in the midst of this 90s alternative that Train has going. Also, there is a bit of electronic beats and synths which always works for me!
The album slows down a considerable amount with “Words,” which starts off with a slow acoustic guitar melody. More guitars and bigger drums kick in on top of strings and organs but it still keeps it’s slow pace. On the plus side, “Words” features a church-style choir which I am also a fan of. Once again, I find myself questioning Monahan’s writing style as he tells the listener how to use words and what not to let them do to you. But, the song sounds nice, so I guess it salvages the song.
I thought the album got kinda weird with “Breakfast in Bed,” which totally reminded me a little bit of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” because the two songs share a similar beat. I hate Monahan’s voice in the song which is probably a result of the lyrical content being very sexual. It’s actually the most sexual song on “Save Me, San Francisco.” The lead vocals and back-up vocals are in completely different octaves, not only from each other but from his normal singing voice as well. I hate his choice to do that but once again, perhaps he was going for the “sexy” feel, but he couldn’t quite pull it off.
Finally, “Marry Me” closes out the album and thankfully Monahan’s voice is back to normal: baritone and full of inflection! The acoustic guitar picking is a nice touch and of course, it’s another love song. It’s not TOO corny but not exactly a song that I’m a fan of. It’s nice, but that’s about it.
“Save Me, San Francisco” is dominated by strings and piano and sees Train making an attempt to experiment with their sound. Unfortunately, not only do they not really accomplish it, but it seems like they don’t really put forth much of an effort as only a couple songs sound different. They’re pretty much the same alternative band you’ve heard on the radio for the past few years singing love songs. In fact, if you search for Train on YouTube, the related videos will have videos of alternative hits such as “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” by Nine Days, “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” by Five For Fighting, “She’s So High” by Tal Bachman and “Everything You Want” by Vertical Horizon.
The only song I thoroughly enjoy is the single, “Hey, Soul Sister,” and that was probably a wise choice to release as the single because I really found nothing all that spectacular with “Save Me, San Francisco.” Everything on the album seems “safe” and therefore the album is pretty plain. Sorry guys, I think I’ll just have to stick to the singles!
“Parachute”
“This Ain’t Goodbye”
“Save Me, San Francisco”
“Hey, Soul Sister”
“Breakfast in Bed”
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