Albuquerque’s Train Conductor dropped “Elephant Graveyard” on November 7th, the closing track off their album Feeling Town. The band’s been kicking around since 2011, going through different lineups but keeping the local psych scene alive. They’re now a seven-member setup with four core members and the Brasstronauts, which is why they can pull off so many different sounds. “Elephant Graveyard” is their heavy atmospheric track, leaning into shoegazey psych with layers that build into something immersive.
The lyrics paint this picture of storm clouds accumulating, pupils dilating, lost in the skies. There’s this recurring image of the elephant graveyard, a mythical place that’s not too far, where colors collide, and you unearth visions you’re trying to hide. Lines like “sandstone forms the sand in your eyes” and “drown myself in liquid lies, drunken eyes sunken ship, take a sip and let it rip” compliment the music well and complete the vivid picture in the listener’s head. The song moves between storm imagery and these moments of cumulus blooms dancing while sunlight drips gold as day begins to fold which creates an interesting contrast and alongside the enveloping shoegaze sounds it gives you space to contemplate.
Musically, the swirling atmospheric production does exactly what it needs to. The track builds these layers that pull you into a different headspace, which is what good shoegaze psych should do. Train Conductor call this a significant milestone in their sound, and you can hear why. It’s heavy but not oppressive, atmospheric but not aimless. For a band that’s been around since 2011 and gone through multiple arrangements, “Elephant Graveyard” shows they’re still finding new places to go with their sound. As the definitive conclusion to Feeling Town, it does the job.
