“Chasing Moving Trains” is the second studio release of New York based singer, songwriter and producer Roy Blair. Blair is an experimental alternative indie artist who had taken a five year hiatus since the release of “Graffiti: A Mix By Roy Blair.”
Blair has been one of my favorite artists since I discovered his debut album “Cat Heaven,” released in 2017. In the case of the coming of age masterpiece “Cat Heaven,” I gravitated to Blair’s profound vulnerability and deeply personal story-telling.
On “Chasing Moving Trains,” released this past Friday, Blair finds his roots in experimental vulnerability again. I admire how open he is on this album and how it still sounds like his signature sound despite the changes in his style and obvious growth as an artist.
Blairs usual sound is electronic with exploratory vocal manipulation and groovy high-frequency instrumental. Songs on the album like “Hummingbird,” “Strawberry” and “Garden” each feature intimate lyrics while keeping the instrumental relatively up-beat and enjoyable.
I think one of the best songs on the album is “Strawberry.” It’s one of the few songs on the album that is easy to listen to casually with its simple chorus, despite having longer, more elaborate verses.
The song features Blair reflecting on a past relationship and chasing that honeymoon feeling. This is evident by the song’s opening lines, “I used to be in love with the only one I cared for / had no runner up / now it’s one and done, feelings that I never planned for / in my blood.”
The later verses feature lyrics of Blair reminiscing and wishing to go back to those better days with the person he loved. He specifically says that ever since these shared moments have ended, he is “never in [his] head, [he] was always there.”
Blair also has this fun acoustic jazz motif that he blends with his regular electronic sounds in a really interesting way. This is seen on songs like “Karaoke” and “Plum.” These tracks are a little slower than we usually hear from Blair. In the case of “Karaoke,” Blair layers an upbeat classical piano over sparkly synths that imitate the acoustic instrument.
“Plum” has a steady suppressed beat with little other instrumental overlay. Blair also doesn’t use as much autotune on this track which compliments the vulnerability of the song and the bassy background track very well.
The album’s title track “Chasing Moving Trains” is a more mellow take on the relationship Blair has been lamenting on throughout the album. I feel like the song encapsulates the message of “Chasing Moving Trains” quite well, touching on all the albums major themes like loneliness, finding yourself missing someone you once loved and learning to keep going without them.
Other than these stand-out tracks, there were other songs that were too noisy for me. By “noisy” I mean that some songs had too much going on instrumentally or even with Blairs vocal distortion and I found myself not enjoying the album as much as I hoped. I feel this way simply because I think I’ve grown out of my alternative indie “Cat Heaven” days, not necessarily because the album is not good or Blair lost his spark. I can still appreciate the artistry and recognize that there are some great songs on this album, but I didn’t love it the way I might’ve a few years ago.
Despite not enjoying the album as much as I would have liked, I’m hopeful that in the future I’ll find my way back to “Chasing Moving Trains” and enjoy it way more the second time around. However, Blair is still a talented musician and if you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary this fall, I would definitely check it out.
3/5 stars
jhammer@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @royblair, Instagram
