When I Took That Train

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When I Took That Train
Studio album by Jandek
Released	2005
Recorded	Unknown
Length	43:32
Label	Corwood Industries
Producer(s)	Jandek
Jandek chronology
A Kingdom He Likes (2004)	When I Took That Train (2005)	Glasgow Sunday (2005)

When I Took That Train is the 40th release by avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek, and the first of four released in 2005 by his own Corwood Industries label, as #0778.

[edit] Overview

And so, after a rather nasty "break," (see the second half of The Door Behind and the entirety of A Kingdom He Likes), the relationship that seems to have begun on The End of it All is again the focal point, as the artist decides to try to make things work. "I talked to you today/it was so nice/you laughed, sounded happy, in a surprised way," he says on the opening track, before the two set out terms: "I gotta see if you can accept my requirements/I gotta see if I can adjust myself to meet your requirements/ but I would like to try, definitely." Whatever bad things went down, the two have a definite physical agenda. Reflecting on how good the "first time" was, Jandek says, "I guarantee, I’ll match that first time...next time...not too long from now." This is as to-the-point as this artist has ever been, and considering that the vocals are mostly moaned over a somewhat-meandering, bluesy acoustic guitar - which rarely changes what its playing from song to song - the album can seem more like a "diary" or a series of letters set to (approximately) the same song.

So this is not an album for neophytes, but that's not the point - Jandek isn't making albums for anybody's genre. The point is that Jandek feels the need to address the second shot at this relationship, point by point. Each fairly short song - which sometimes pick the pace up a bit and occasionally feature a change in vocal stylings from spoken to moaned to some outright wailing over a mostly strummed, dissonantly tuned guitar - goes from one point to the next, as he talks about his excitement of seeing her again, followed by a readdress of his infatuation with her ("Close to You"), which leads to the two meeting again and him being "knocked out, knoced down -dead" at her beauty. He mentions that she can always "look for the exit door" and that he understands; he's been around. This leads to a good time had by all, he lets her know what she means to him and he's more than a little excited about seeing her again. If the lyrical content seems strange, that may be because the vocals are delivered (mostly) as if this were a bad time. But it's not and seems to be headed in a "happily ever after" direction until the album takes a strange move toward the end: "I've been here/six million years, he says in "Thing Called Me," where he tells the universe to "stay back." Then the "spiders" return (metaphorically, perhaps) and the album ends on the long strange trip of "My Escape," in which the singer considers going to Seattle, or Pensacola Florida. Afraid of commitment? Afraid of himself? It's never made clear, but the album, unsettlingly, ends with the line, "I'll/take (your heart) out for food/ Eat my heart out/take the rest of me inside of you." Does he give in to her, to the darkness inside of him? Is there an escape? That's for the listener to decide, though from here the next album released covered the first live show at Glasgow, where he mostly sings about being alone, missing someone, and trying to keep going. It's also backed by a stellar band, the first in over thirteen years.

[edit] Track listing

1. I Talked To You Today – 4:07
2. When I See You Again – 2:52
3. The Image Of You – 3:27
4. Close To You – 3:22
5. You Took Me For A Ride – 4:13
6. What Else Is There – 2:16
7. Wouldn't You Agree – 3:22
8. You Made Me Know It – 2:45
9. Angel Moves – 3:43
10. Thing Called Me – 5:43
11. My Escape – 6:50

[edit] Album Cover Description

Another fairly contemporary, bearded Jandek, sporting a hat and tan suit. He looks younger and less thin than on A Kingdom He Likes. It’s been raining and his feet and legs are reflected in the wet pavement. Is that an umbrella in his left hand? Even though he’s standing in a public square in the center of London, the photo is strangely empty of other human figures. (At least, it gives that impression; actually, you can pick out a few people behind him.) Who took this photo, a friend, or a passerby? The building with the pillars is Mansion House, official residence of the Lord Mayor of London (not to be confused with the regular mayor)....the tube stop in the background is Bank; the ironwork in the left foreground forms part of another entrance...Closed circuit TV cameras survey the scene from overhead. The building on the right houses Mappin and Webb jewelers; note the Christmas trees above the entrance. The building was empty after about 1986 and was demolished in 1993 or 1994...a new building was erected in 1998. The cars are 1980’s cars, so the photo must be from the mid or perhaps early 1980’s. - Seth Tisue