I Often Dream of Trains
The ghosts of cracked '60s British visionariesSyd Barrett,Vivian Stanshall, andKevin Ayersfloat above this pleasurable 1984 release, arguably Robyn Hitchock's definitive solo statement.I Often Dream of Trainsis a sparse, surreal work that alternates moments of sublime, acoustic beauty with bouts of puerile, schoolboy humor. The usual Hitchcockian obsessions are here: death (the rousing and gloomy "Sounds Great When You're Dead" and the haunting, majestic "Bones in the Ground"), nostalgia for the lost and obscure (the cocktail lounge lament "My Favourite Buildings" and the priceless, lush "Trams of Old London"), decay (the lovely, haunting instrumental track "Heart Full of Leaves" and the savory "Autumn Is Your Last Chance"), and unmitigated pot-head nonsense (the desultory "Furry Green Atom Bowl"). Forced novelty numbers such as "Uncorrected Personality Traits" and "Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl" grate after repeated listenings, making a strong case for the judicious employment of the CD player's program function.--Mike McGonigal