▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ 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 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░