Born in 1996.
Currently on ASCETIC RECORDS.
Five full length albums, four EPs and several compilation credits to date. Most of our releases can be ordered HERE.
Over 500 shows played covering 38 states and 2 continents.
For correspondence, send us a message here on myspace or write to jstdodge@aol.com
Wolves, the band’s fourth LP, sees Traindodge back to their core trio and writing their strongest material yet. The band have always had a love for prog-rock, but the synths on Wolves are actually an integral part of every track. I mean serious Vangelis-style ‘80s synths. There’s also a heavy late-‘70s hard rock influence here, with Rob Smith providing thumping, danceable beats on nearly every track. In fact, Traindodge’s signature time switches are pretty much absent here, and only on the final two tracks do the band venture out of straight-up 4/4 territory. But the stripped-down, hard rocking style suits them quite well. “You, the Disaster,” led by Chris Allen’s devastatingly kick-ass bass groove, is a prime example of the sleeker, leaner, meaner new Traindodge: maximum rock, minimum fuss.
When the band aren’t in full-on rock mode, they’re writing Kraftwerkian ambient ballads like “Twice as Lost” and “Clean,” which serve as a subdued counterpoint to the rest of the album. More than just experimental tracks, they’re great songs, particularly the latter which adds a terrific, skittering live drum beat. Best of all is when they let all their influences come together like on “Born in the Cold” and the brilliant, haunting title track, which is like the greatest ‘80s rock song that never existed. I’ve listened to that song maybe 20 times now and it still gives me chills. And there’s even a furious 7/8 rocker at the very end to satisfy my craving for the old-school Midwest sound (“Rats on Wires”).
Everyone is at the top of their game with this record. Rob’s drumming is tight as hell throughout (though he seems just the slightest bit constrained by the four-on-the-floor rhythms). Chris continues to impress as the best and most underrated bassist since Shiner’s Paul Malinowski, just amazing work here on every track. And Jason Smith’s guitar work, singing, and songwriting have never sounded better. Although there’s nothing here quite as blistering as “Abandon City!” or “Bushido” off The Truth, overall this is a much stronger and more cohesive record. If you haven’t been introduced to Traindodge, you are really missing out on an amazing, powerful, creative rock band, and Wolves is as good a place as any to start; longtime fans should be thrilled at the way they’ve progressed. I can’t say enough good things about it. Get this record.
The album, Wolves, stands as the groups fourth full-length and the follow up to 2004’s mammoth double album effort, The Truth. No, Wolves isn’t another double monstrosity. Actually it’s only 10 songs and clocks in at just over 40 minutes. However, with Wolves, I honestly feel like Traindodge have made an equally “large” sounding album in terms of depth and overall sound. It eliminates all the wandering found on their last album and tightens up the ship to make for one of their best releases.
It’s hard to say what I was really expecting for Wolves to sound like after hearing last years Under Black Sails EP, which I felt was a bit of a return of sorts to their earlier more hard rock/post hardcore sound. However, Wolves caught me by surprise with opener “Maze” which immediately establishes the bands overall inclusion of keyboards to their sound. As a matter a fact, two of the albums tracks, “Twice as Lost” and “Clean”, are solely orchestrated by keys which serve as nice pieces for setting up some of the albums more rock driven tracks.
After playing together for quite a few years now, Wolves shows Traindodge really tightening up as a band. Jason Smith’s guitar playing has drifted more and more away from chugging riffs to a much more intricate style of playing that greatly lends itself to the albums much more progressive feel. As a whole though, the band just sounds really good together, whether it be from the production values or just the sheer number of years of being together. It really shines through on Wolves and at this point in their career they have taken a few steps forward with their sound, as displayed with the keyboards, a higher influence from various elements of classic rock, and a new found ability in pop songwriting. Wolves is the result of the band perfectly executing all of which they had envisioned their sound moving towards and including every bit of their past influences. It’s a superb effort from a band that has yet to disappoint.
Oklahoma City’s Traindodge returns with its full-length follow-up to the dual disc The Truth. Rest easy, pilgrim, the band’s kept it nice and short this time, offering a solid and diverse 41-minute record that highlights the trio’s tight-and-steady blend of metal, progressive and indie, as highlighted on the brawny “You, The Disaster,” which showcases some of Jason Smith’s best blazing guitar work to date and sees Rob Smith (drums) and Chris Allen (bass) further establishing their reputation as a consummate rhythm section.
Surprises and odd twists do abound. The keyboard-centered “Twice As Lost” recalls Genesis’ self-titled 1983 release and the earlier Duke more than virtually anything populating the alternative underground at the moment; quiet, the track feels honest, homespun and shows the emotional depth of Jason Smith’s vocal abilities. “Born In The Cold” carries with it deeper pop sensibilities than one might expect from Traindodge and, were it longer, more cognizant of the verse-chorus-verse change-up, it might read as anthemic.
Instead, it and the aforementioned “Twice As Lost” build a bridge between the title track (which at times recalls the sensitive, pastel moments of Rush’s Grace Under Pressure with more contemporary around the edges) and the furious “Brushing Of The Wings,” arguably the most attitudinal of the all the pieces here and decidedly one of the record’s best tracks.
There’s also time to groove in a fashion akin to peak era Talking Heads and Discipline-era King Crimson during “When Bad Luck Talks,” pause for the unexpectedly No Wave-ish “Clean” and then launch into the full frontal lobe assault of “It Always Finds You” and “Rats On Wires.”
If it seems to some that Traindodge is moving forward, trying on a different hat here and there, and moving toward something more diverse and forward-thinking, it’s because it is and both the band and this album are the better for it.
"Post-hardcore can be split into two eras: pre-At the Drive-In and post-At the Drive-In. Oklahoma's Traindodge sticks out by sounding as if ATDI never existed. Forgoing the sexy, sassy acrobatics that have come to define the genre, the trio peddles a brand of cerebrally accelerated aggression that requires a bit more deciphering but is well worth the effort. Traindodge was initially beholden to Midwest forebears like Giants Chair and Shiner. But the outfit's third full-length, 2004's The Truth, was a double-disc opus that hijacked both No Knife and Pink Floyd, juxtaposing tense minimalism with sharp angles of detached, disjointed atmosphere. The group's followup EP, Under Black Sails, is more accessible work that sinks pop hooks in a sea of piss and acid. Unlike the hordes of post-hardcore wannabes who think screams, noise and posing make the band, Traindodge synthesizes brainpower and horsepower into a contorted, rock-heavy wallop that'll leave you scratching your head as much as banging it."
This group from Norman, OK packs a mighty wallop with energetic fury and witty passion in their new release, the double-CD package entitled The Truth. An eclectic mix of grand distortion guitars, dazzling percussion and dreamy synths are blended in comfortably with ravishing lead vocal swells on “Abandon City!,” the album’s first track. Throughout this double-length effort, Traindodge presents a cache of powerful material, songs with both genuine melodicism and heartfelt dissonance. They seemed to have cracked the prism of current prog-rock methods to reveal explosive intensity and deepened emotional resonance in their brand of music. One cannot fail to grasp the message of this group’s music, as frenetic yells and pulsating bass lines complement jarring staccato rhythms on drums. Traindodge interjects a wide array of passionate musical statements, and at times, such as in the dynamic “Streets” and the gripping “The Valley,” seem to feed off each other instrumentally with great precision and surprising ease. This result virtually creates a palate of dramatic rock, much like the hurricane-like presence of a runaway train pummeling down the tracks of musical glory. The second CD holds on its own as a respectable accompaniment to the first, a sign that Traindodge has grown and evolved enough in their art to bring to light a large collection of somewhat sophisticated, mature, yet viable and amiable songs.
America’s heartland is a good place to find quality progressive chunk-rock, and Norman, Oklahoma’s Traindodge have been aiming to please since 1999. Their second full-length, On A Lake Of Dead Trees is raw talent: no Pro-Tools, over-production scams, or other chicanery here.
Opener “Beckon The Inferno” brandishes the typical Traindodge sound of cranked-up, Season To Risk-y volume with quiet, Shiner-istic passages. “Flight Of The Serpent” starts off even louder than the first then settles into serene interludes just like old Clockhammer. “Five Forks” and “The Visit” are where the band shakes off their residual punkiness and smooths out the lines like the Cargo Music roster of the early ’90s, with the latter expanding into a Gunfighter-like interval — which shouldn’t surprise fans, since drummer Rob Smith once played in Gunfighter with ex-Molly McGuire frontman Jason Blackmore. “Rusted Lincoln” is a Clockhammer-ed ballad of sorts, with well-placed echo effects near the beginning so that Jason Smith’s vocals resonate deep in your speakers. “The Unlikely Runway” begins like a few cuts off Gunfighter’s Pro-Electric, relentlessly pummeling with chords and cymbal crashes until around the three-minute mark when the tune downshifts and gets Shiner-quiet, then cranks up and fades out. After a minute of static silence, the short (mostly) instrumental “The Anecdote” fades in gradually, crumbling away to a wall of feedback. “Brass-Eyed” closes out the proceedings with a punkish, King Crimson timbre, drifting off after four minutes into a restful soundscape of distant bells, metal clicks, and ambient washes.
On A Lake Of Dead Trees should allow the listener to realize the band’s stylistic breadth and how consistently they’ve been building upon the sound that was initiated with their Torch EP. Assuredly, Traindodge’s next outing will come even closer to indie-prog nirvana.
Issue #39 November 2009 Cover Story: Pearl Jam; Also interviews with American Steel; BYO Records; Cobra Skulls; Pete Droge and Elaine Summers; Lisa Germano; The Get Up Kids; Teenage Bottle Rockets; Plus: CDs; DVDs and Books reviews.
thanks to Traindodge so much for rawkin New London, CT w/ Roma 79 & Story of the Sea (who were both fantastic). great set, 'Raining Room' into 'Wolves' was stellar, so was 'United Skeletons'. the new songs sounded great. great gig, very cool people. come back to Bahston next time. peace, Dan
Last night was PHUKKING AMAZING! You guys are the best, ever! Everyone was so great and the music was outta this world! It's hard to imagine having more fun. (Unless, of course, you had managed to play "Sky Exempt" and "Taste of Broken Glass.")
All the pix from the show are on my page and I'm happy to send them all to you, but I'm not sure where you want me to send them. Forward me an email addy and I'll ship 'em of, post-haste!
Thanks again for a great night and Emily and Zach(?) I are looking forward to hosting you gents in Dayton on the next go-around. PEACE!!!
Oh, hell yeah, Jason, thanks! I was looking for it on the main page; didn't think to try the other calendar. I am so fired up to see you guys live! I'm buying you gents a drink, by the way!
I assume it's all right to bring my camera and take some shots of you boys? I promise no video unless you say it's all right; but my little Samsung 7mp camera has a crappy mic on it, so there's really no point.
Does Southgate House in Covington, KY know that you guys are scheduled to blow the roof off that dump on 10/15? You're not listed on the site, so I can't order my tickets. I will be VERY FUCKING SAD if something has gone sideways with this this show. I can't drive to Grand Rapids or Pittsburgh for shows, and I'm dyin' to finally see you boys LIVE. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!!!
ROB! Great seeing you guys out at Kylesa on Sunday. Hope to see you again soon, let me know when TD wants to come to Tulsa! I'm going to try to make the Oct 3 Rainbows are Free show up there too.
I will be the loudest mother fucker in the Southgate House on October 15, 2009! Every Traindodge fan who lives within a 250-mile radius of Newport/Cincinnati had better show up and be prepared to party!!! I am going to personally treat the boys to a heavy dose of Ohio-Kentucky hospitality.
i lent under black sails to a friend here in bergen, norway who works at a local (predominantly) black-metal club called "the garage". he played it over the p.a. and all kinds of guys and hot chicks were rockin' out to it and making mean faces and stuff. it was wild!!! and was prolly like one of the best times i ever had listening to your music. so yeah, you are loved in norway.
yous guys are my favorite band mang! have fun with all of your upcoming shows!!!! cheers!
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