Eminently forgettable is a phrase not likely to be found on anyone's press sheet, but sometimes it ought to be. And I should mention that being forgettable is not necessarily a bad thing -- pop music has thrived on disposable heroes. However, producing forgettable music is not a particularly admirable quality when someone else is critiquing your music.

The Sound of Rails is not a bad band, just a band cursed by the inability to write songs that stick in my brain. Or perhaps it is my brain that is cursed, I don't know. In any case, when I put this disc in my CD player, I am immediately reminded that the disc is far from bad; in fact, it immediately inspires a slow series of rock-n-roll head-bobs from me. But once the disc ends, I am not met with any desire to play it again -- the only reason I've played this album as much as I have is because I keep sitting down to write a review of it, and can't come up with anything to say.

Musically, the Sound of Rails echoes many bass-driven post-rock instrumental bands -- their songs are all slow, plodding and methodical. Vocals are interspersed throughout, but they are somewhat neutral, neither adding nor detracting from the song's atmosphere.

Overall, the Sound of Rails have made a thoroughly disappointing album. The music shows that the band can play and understands what makes their genre tick. However, the songs just aren't compelling enough to stick in my head. The disc is only 35 minutes long, but I've already forgotten what any song previous to the one I am listening to sounds like. I cannot recommend this disc, but I do hope that the Sound of Rails persevere and return with a new album that makes me eat my words. I think they've got it in them.

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