Robyn Hitchcock - I Often Dream of Trains (1984)

Robyn Hitchcock - I Often Dream of Trains

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In 1980, The Soft Boys broke up and Robyn Hitchcock became a man without a band. He quickly found his every instinct unchecked and without restraint produced Black Snake Diamond Role (1981) and Groovy Decay (1982). The former proved to be more of a lackluster transitional album, while the latter, an underdeveloped mess. Hitchcock would even seemingly disavow Groove Decay with his release of the demo record Groove Decoy in 1986. Despite the shortcomings after a couple years removed from the creative process, Hitchcock took his time and released a cathartic and moving album, 1984’s I Often Dream of Trains. The tracks are sparse and direct, recorded in only a few days and devoid of any indulgence. Songs like “Uncorrected Personality Traits” and “Furry Green Atom Bowl” provide levity in there short palate cleansing topics, especially set against the dissident and bleak “Sounds Great When You’re Dead” and “Autumn is Your Last Chance.” I Often Dream has proved to be Hitchcock’s weird solo masterpiece, the sound of an artist holding himself accountable for his art, and allowing his audience a glimpse at his unrestricted and unique psyche.

~8.5

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