One listen.

Queued this one up a few weeks ago, only got around to writing about it now. Laziness, maybe. Anyway, I knew that going into this I wanted to try and touch more on the imagery, and I kind of did that but the sounds led me elsewhere, kind of. This is a bit of a mix and I’m not sure it is in the best way, but I do think I captured some of the song’s essence quite well.

Pat Metheny Group’s “Last Train Home” is from Still Life (Talking).

I hope you enjoy.

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Deft percussion, sounding much like the tracks under a train as it glides through the countryside. Guitar and keys come in and strings underscore, and there’s something sentimental here. Something about greetings and farewells.

There’s space and simplicity, and keys take over for a moment as everything keeps on moving toward a destination. A grandness comes forward, but it all feels small, simple. Smooth. Gentle. Somehow exciting and adventurous too.

Up and down and the percussion remains steady, and it’s all a series of snapshots with motion between. It asks questions without necessarily looking for answers, and the keys and guitar keep moving around each other, and eventually they build and emphasise more than before. They rise, and the strings seem to fill out a bit more, but they remain in the background.

As much as there is looking at the scenery and seemingly implying some sort of reflection of the journey, there’s looking inward as well, and the sentimentality rises a bit more when the guitar pulls away and voice rises up and calls outward in the sensation of the breeze.

Sentimental and perhaps a little sad, but it’s only one part of a longer journey in a featureless expanse of many things. Open, and sometimes closed off, and the guitar curls around and bends, and the sound of a train can be faintly heard as the keys keep touching specific moments, and the percussion remains steady and moving ever onward as everything fades out and the song ends.