The National - High Violet - 4AD, 2010

The year is 1846. There is a black steam engine slowly building speed as it moves across the country. Soon, word spreads of the iron beast and rumor is that this train is going somewhere very important. With anticipation, children dream, women breath heavily, men feel a pride that comes with association oneself with greatness and telegraph operators barely have time to sleep. Upon entering each station, the engine seems to grow larger, with a well oiled precision that comes from rest and care, not from countless days of travel. In quite a short amount of time, the modest steam engine has become legend, it’s whistle heard at the farthest reaches of the first world. In a cloud of steam and satisfaction, the engine roared towards it’s final station. Yet all that emerged from this foggy halo was a simple, grey cart set on four steel wheels…barely managing to coast to the platform. The repetition and constant self-clamoring of the near invincible engine had become a straining sound on the ear of it’s followers. In it’s singular mission of completing the journey, the steam engine had not noticed that electric, flying cars had been invented and that no one gave a fuck about trains anymore.