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░ ██ ██ Artist: Big Big Train ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Grand Tour █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2019 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2020-01-02 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: English Electric Recordings ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Big Big Train donÆt reinvent the wheel, rather █
█ they whittle it down to near perfection by adding █
█ their own twists to a winning British prog rock █
█ formula that places them at the head of the pack. █
█ I might be one of the rarer fans that think Big █
█ Big Train have been on a good upswing this decade █
█ û their last album Grimspound is actually one of █
█ my absolute favorite albums of theirs! Naturally, █
█ I was looking forward to how they would progress █
█ their lovely prog rock sound, and I have the █
█ answer right here. Grand Tour, named after an █
█ old-fashioned European tradition and rite of █
█ passage, might not change up a whole lot, but █
█ still acts as the culmination of their stately, █
█ epic sound. █
█ True to its name, Grand Tour is an aural period █
█ piece. ItÆs a common stereotype for English things █
█ to have regal or posh qualities attributed to █
█ them, especially by us Westerners, but Big Big █
█ Train are truly worthy of the descriptor. Their █
█ music feels proper and inoffensive, as if informed █
█ by a massive amount of etiquette classes. Maybe a █
█ fault for some, understandably, but IÆve always █
█ appreciated it. This new album doesnÆt change █
█ that; to be honest, it doesnÆt change much which █
█ is quite all right for me when itÆs done so █
█ beautifully. █
█ Big Big Trainæs music has always been lively, even █
█ when taking tragedy in stride, but not quite as █
█ much as ôAliveö has û go figure. ItÆs like the █
█ opening musical number for a Disney movie, rife █
█ with upbeat melodic lines and larger-than-life █
█ structure. ItÆs like watching a young, plucky, █
█ perhaps animated adult prance upon the cobblestone █
█ street from their small town, swirling about and █
█ taking in all stimuli around them while they sing █
█ in a manner that beckons for others to join in. █
█ ItÆs theatrical and soaring, in ways I expect from █
█ the band and otherwise. Surely a different █
█ approach for them, but one that sets the stage for █
█ an album that wishes for you to appreciate all the █
█ grand things in life. █
█ We couldnÆt have a Big Big Train album without █
█ tremendously progressive moments and they are in █
█ abundance here. Grand Tour û emphasis on ægrandÆ û █
█ has three tracks clocking in at 13 minutes or more █
█ which is huge, almost daunting even for a prog fan █
█ like me. ôRoman Stoneö is the first one. Split █
█ into five parts, itÆs the most urgent of the three █
█ with David Longdon acting as our orator for this █
█ historical journey with many references to ancient █
█ Rome (thereÆs actually a lot of references to Rome █
█ in this album). It has a very organic feel to it, █
█ using clean guitar of the electric and acoustic █
█ variety, building to an emotive brass section that █
█ plants its foot firmly in the middle of the track. █
█ It chills me to the core to hear the bass guitar █
█ flirt with the flute while drums splash and hammer █
█ out unbelievably tight rhythms, melodies dancing █
█ all around. ThereÆs a neat ebb and flow with the █
█ pacing that makes it approachable for a long song █
█ û it alone could form its own standalone EP. █
█ ItÆs very common for me to be swept up in the █
█ majesty of a Big Big Train album, and this is █
█ about the part when I completely succumb to it. █
█ With tracks like ôPantheonö and ôTheodora in Green █
█ and Goldö, itÆs not like I need much convincing to █
█ let myself go. The former song is an instrumental, █
█ more keen to soundtrack an A-list celebrity █
█ ensemble-led film than probably any other song on █
█ here. The orchestral movements on here are █
█ straight up bold in ways I havenÆt heard from the █
█ band much before. The primary riff here is played █
█ by just about every instrument available, creating █
█ a multi-textured line through the relatively short █
█ track. ItÆs even accented by some nice synth █
█ leads! Time-altering sections warp the mix like █
█ wet parchment, but never go so far as to be █
█ alienating or overly technical û traditional █
█ British prog hardly ever does and thatÆs why I █
█ love it. The latter song is more conventional, █
█ carried by synth and piano more than any other, █
█ but also makes room for some awesome lead vocals █
█ from drummer Nick DÆVirgilio. They turned out █
█ nicely and I hope he sings more in the future as █
█ heÆs a good, light companion to LongdonÆs █
█ mid-ranged cadence. █
█ IÆm compelled to use the word æepicÆ a lot here, █
█ but it feels simultaneously played out and also █
█ inappropriate as it doesnÆt fully encompass the █
█ breadth of the music on Grand Tour. WhatÆs more █
█ than æepicÆ? Legendary? Mythic? Perhaps █
█ monumental? I struggle to find a word to describe █
█ the absolutely stunning group backing vocals on █
█ ôArielö that almost bring me to tears, or the █
█ serene moments of restraint and grandeur that █
█ split up the busier sections of ôVoyagerö (the █
█ keyboard solo in particular is awesome). Big Big █
█ Train always play to their strengths, and to my █
█ tastes, by making music that transcends █
█ description; by crafting memorable music in such █
█ an organic and intrinsic fashion as if built from █
█ the elements of earth themselves. █
█ Probably the biggest and, to me, only problem to █
█ address is how Big Big Train aggressively stay the █
█ course with much of their music. For my money, █
█ Grand Tour offers enough detours and scenic █
█ setpieces to warrant an earnest listen and stave █
█ off cynicism. IÆm a big, big fan of epic, yet █
█ grounded and pretty prog, so I acknowledge that █
█ IÆm liable to give it a pass, but be warned: it █
█ may not be the mold-shattering reinventing of █
█ progressive rock youÆre in search of. ItÆs another █
█ divine Big Big Train album, showing the septet █
█ have plenty of steam left in them and they donÆt █
█ seem to be waning whatsoever. That, if nothing █
█ else, is admirable, and I would still suggest █
█ giving this a try if youÆve grown jaded to them in █
█ the past. █
█ It may be the honeymoon phase glinting in my eye, █
█ not to mention recency bias, but I feel strongly █
█ within me that this album has the potential to █
█ lead the groupÆs discography in terms of raw █
█ quality after time passes. Grand Tour has a couple █
█ of my favorite Big Big Train songs of all time; █
█ for a band with a storied history such as them to █
█ still impress decades later is no small feat. I █
█ sense moments of meta in this album when the █
█ lyrics urge to always keep in mind the splendor of █
█ the world around us, as if they are referencing █
█ this very music. I canÆt imagine my world without █
█ Big Big Train, and this album simply adds another █
█ shade of color with which to paint my world. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Novum Organum 2:33 ░
░ 2. Alive 4:31 ░
░ 3. The Florentine 8:14 ░
░ 4. Roman Stone 13:33 ░
░ 5. Pantheon 6:08 ░
░ 6. Theodora in Green and Gold 5:37 ░
░ 7. Ariel 14:28 ░
░ 8. Voyager 14:03 ░
░ 9. Homesong 5:23 ░
░ 74:30 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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