''The Christmas Tree Ship'' is the second
EP by
I Like Trains
I Like Trains (previously styled as iLiKETRAiNS) is an English alternative/post-rock band, formed in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It draws its inspiration from historical failings and a pessimistic world view.
I Like Trains has had its music used i ...
. It was released on 24 November 2008.
It is an entirely instrumental
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
, based on the storm that sank the
Rouse Simmons.
The Rouse Simmons was a
schooner
A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
that for twenty years delivered
Christmas trees
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance.
The custom was developed in Ce ...
to
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, until on the night of November 23, 1912 it was lost in a storm on
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
, with all hands and a full cargo of Christmas trees.
[About ''The Christmas Tree Ship'' on I Like Trains' website. ]
The Christmas Tree Ship
.
The five track titles relate to different aspects of the story.
* ''The Christmas Tree Ship'' is about the sinking of the
Rouse Simmons itself.
* ''South Shore'', ''Two Brothers'' and ''Three Sisters'' were the names of three other ships that sank the same night.
* ''Friday, Everybody Goodbye'' is the opening sentence of a
message in a bottle
A message in a bottle (abbrev. MIB) is a form of communication in which a message is sealed in a container (typically a bottle) and released into a conveyance medium (typically a body of water).
Messages in bottles have been used to send distres ...
[Jacobson-Tews, Lori. Pier Wisconsin. ]
The Story of the Rouse Simmons (page 4)
". Accessed 12 January 2007. thrown into the sea by the captain of the Rouse Simmons.
The album was released as a limited-edition CD and DVD, but the general release was only as an MP3 download. Since then, I Like Trains have made the album a one-track EP for download.
Track listing
# "The Christmas Tree Ship"
# "South Shore"
# "Two Brothers"
# "Three Sisters"
# "Friday, Everybody Goodbye"
References
2008 EPs
I Like Trains albums
Beggars Banquet Records EPs
Christmas tree production
{{ep-stub