2008 wasn’t all that long ago, but to someone like me who didn’t enter the Columbus music scene until the mid-2010’s, Trains Across the Sea has stood the test of time. Formed in 2007 by Andy Gallagher, Trains Across the Sea sprang onto the scene with this quaint little masterpiece of indie Americana the following year. Within the album’s fourteen sparsely arranged tracks lie heartbreak, loneliness, desolation, wisdom, hope and humor.
Sometimes a solo project and sometimes a band, Trains Across the Sea has a fluid structure that allows Gallagher full creative control, even when backed by other musicians. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Gallagher accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica, but I’ve also seen him play with an electric rock and roll band. Both versions offer an invigorating experience, and both are available for all to hear on this album.
Gallagher’s baritone voice is assertive and powerful, but at the same time friendly and inviting. It lends itself well to his tunes, which are like stories to be told around a campfire. On “Driving,” Gallagher’s ode to the road, he reflects on his love for the highway and all of its pleasures, be they truck stops, ostrich farms or diners where they call you “honey.” The song’s specific, relatable observations combined with its driving folk-rock rhythm make for one of the album’s most engaging songs.
Through his own songs, and through this flawless imitation of Joe Cocker’s Woodstock performance of “With A Little Help From My Friends”, Gallagher has demonstrated that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. His sense of humor is apparent on numerous tracks throughout the album. On “Happy Tribes of Injuns,” a solo guitar and vocal track, he muses on the motives and effects of colonialism and reduces Columbus’s conquest of the Americas to a child looking for shiny rocks in a “new world sandbox.”
As well-performed and well-written as Trains Across the Sea is, those aren’t its only strong suits. One of the album’s most notable qualities is the pleasant homemade sound of its production. In 2011, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl bragged that their album Wasting Light was recorded in his garage, but the record certainly didn’t sound that way. A multimillionaire like Grohl has the resources to turn their ten-car garage into a fully realized recording studio complete with state-of-the-art microphones and mixers. Frankly, I feel that if you have to tell everyone your record was made in a garage, it wasn’t. But with Trains Across the Sea, the simple rustic sound is plain and genuine, clearly made by one man, a few friends and some cheap equipment. The low quality of the recording makes for a high-quality listening experience.
Other standout moments include the melancholy childishness of “Such Uncomfortable Chairs” and the stomp-and-clap delight of “Am I The Only One Going to the Waterpark?” But even though some tracks stand out more than others, the work as a whole is exceptional and leaves little to be desired. Since Trains, Trains Across The Sea have released a slew of excellent albums and live EP’s, but none can quite match the homey charm of their first. Few records I’ve heard are as thoughtful and as cozy as this one.
Trains Across the Sea, along with the rest of the band’s discography, is available on streaming services and Bandcamp.
