THE BIG RED SPARK

If Tinyfish's 2010 album "The Big Red Spark" doesn't rekindle the flame of at least one or two wonderous science fiction moments from your childhood, quickly have someone check your pulse! Schedule diagnostic tests! Better yet, call an ambulance for immediate medical attention. On second thought, forget it. If this album didn't move you, you're probably already dead.

From the earliest moments of the spoken word sequence from the album's opening song "The Loose Ends", willing prog travelers are immediately swept into a musical tale as amazing as it is mysterious. For it is in this very first song that we meet a tired, wistful professor, a man haunted by impending horrors of his own creation. What is this single wish that he's granted to everyone? What is the foreboding significance of his allusion to Nietzsche's morbid musings about all living things, once perfected, culminating in death wishes? (I won't spoil the story for you. Buy thealbum and enjoy the ride! If at first, the dreamlike fantasy eludes you, enjoy a second listen. Allow the subtlety, the flow and the intricacy of the design to make itself known. Then cheat like I did and read up on the back-story at tinyfish dot org!)

I honestly don't believe I am overstating matters in the least when I say that the thespian spoken word elements of this album rival those of the greatest concept albums of all time and simply are not to be missed. Listen and see if you don't agree.

Strictly speaking, this isn't the most progressive album on the block. Saga's 1980's appropriation of Rush-like progginess is a good reference point. The songwriting, musicianship, editing and production, however, are consistently excellent throughout. Arrangements are effectively varied. The albums songs are sonically interesting even as they remain safely tethered to hummable and memorable melodies. Simon Godfrey's vocals are impeccable.

Concept albums tend to fail miserably whenever bands wander from singular devotion to the story they are trying to tell. Tinyfish wisely avoids the temptation to integrate superfluous, distracting or disjointed compositions into the narrative. It may be their party, but Tinyfish is clearly disciplined enough to refrain from crashing the festivities for all the rest of us.

"The Big Red Spark" was three years in the making, and it was worth every moment of the wait. If, however, we are granted the one wish, let's tell the band we hope it won't take another three years for them to complete their next masterpiece!

Three years in the making, this was threatening to become the band's "Chinese Democracy". Now it's here, was it worth the wait? Without a doubt, yes - this is the prg album of the year. Most of the album is taken up by The Big Red Spark suite - a concept about a "machine to fulfil mankind's greatest wish...". The suite starts off with the machine about to be switched on, the rest of the album is a flashback leading up to this event.

Musically the albums sounds more like the Tinyfish debut than "Curious Things" and most of the Tinyfish trademarks are there - the multi-layered guitars and vocals, the little bits you don't heard at first but that become apparent on repeated listens and, of course, the spoken word sections. This time Rob Ramsey is joined by Simon Godfrey's father, amongst others. I find myself being reminded of "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" here (not a bad thing) - a concept suite interspersed with talking, although the talking here makes more sense than Stanley Unwin. Am I alone in also being reminded of "Lost"?

Between most of the normal Tinyfish songs, we have instrumental and talking numbers, the best of these being the wonderful orchestral piece "Building the Machine" which, as Simon himself admits, sounds like something from "Peter and the Wolf". The title track itself has been played at 'fishes gigs for a couple of years and we finally get to hear the recorded version. And very good it is too. The Floyd-like "Weak Machine" is possibly my favourite track of the suite, and "The Loose Ends II" rounds the whole thing of with a reprise of the opening track. I haven't gone into much detail of the overall concept, you need to listen and read a bit about it on the Tinyfish web site but you can still enjoy a brilliant suite of songs. And there's more

"Wide Awake at Midnight" is a ten minute epic already heard on the "One Night on Fire" DVD. On the bonus DVD, along with an interesting band interview, there are 4 additional tracks. "The Sarcasm Never Stops", the soulful (potential hit single?) "Ride" which features the excellent guest vocals of Geoff Wootton, "Eat the Ashes", (all 3 of which are also on the "One Night on Fire" DVD) and the gentle "Let's Get Invisible".

So here we have it. This is the first prog album to be rated 9 out of 10 in Classic Rock (by Geoff Barton no less) and it fully deserves all 9 of those marks. Tinyfish continue to raise the bar of modern prog and this one sets the standard for others to follow.

I don't often break cover and write reviews of albums, but here's something that really raises the bar and insists I make an exception.

Tinyfish are a South London group who describe themselves as "the world's smallest progressive rock band". Their first album, eponymously titled and released in 2006, was a refreshing antidote to the overblown excesses of the genre - nicely crafted songs, quirky spoken-word segments which made the listener sit up and take notice, and even a dyed-in-the-wool epic in the shape of 'All Hands Lost'.

It's taken three and a half years for the band to release the successor - though with the Curious Things EP and a live album and DVD in the interim - but boy, has it been worth the wait. Think of the first album as a pointer to what Tinyfish might be capable of, and The Big Red Spark as the culmination, and you're along the right lines. Again, the songs are songs rather than meandering, pointless exercises in technical competance, though the skill of the musicians in the band cannot be doubted. In particular the guitars sound huge - Jim Sanders an old-school melodic guitar hero, and Simon Godfrey a rock-solid textural rhythm player. Godfrey's artistry comes through further in the way the album is put together, the songs structured around an over-arching concept, developed through Robert Ramsay's lyrics (this man has to be the finest lyricist in progressive rock today, period) and his spoken word pieces, the mood of which ranges from exciting, thrilling almost, to totally chilling. The whole thing is held together by a solid rhythmic backbone of bass (Paul Worwood) and drums (that man Godfrey again), which never gets in the way of the song or the message.

The Big Red Spark is based around a suite of songs, bookended by The Loose Ends, Godfrey singing over a soundscape, with the first segment prefaced by a spoken-word monologue recited by no other than Mr. Godfrey Snr (a gentleman with a superb voice, honed through many years of working in radio). We're then treated to the first "oh my God" moment in the shape of Rainland, simply one of the most breathtaking pieces of rock music I've heard in a long time. This song has all the Tinyfish hallmarks - huge lead guitars, a hook you could catch a shoal of fish with, and Ramsay with his first spoken contribution to the album. After this the songs come thick and fast - Bad Weather Road with its bluesy groove, I'm Not Crashing a superb ballad, the title track a progressive rock monster, and the subdued tense acoustic feel of Weak Machine - before the concept is fulfilled in Activation, with a reprise of the Rainland theme. These songs are interspersed with more spoken-word segments which develop the story, recited by Ramsay and guest contributor Iain Houston over more of those exquisite soundscapes. At the end of the disc we're treated to another ten minutes of superb progressive rock in the form of Wide Awake At Midnight - which may be part of the concept, or maybe not. The band are happy enough to let the listener decide for him or herself.

The initial run of the album comes with a DVD featuring an interview with the band and four bonus tracks - these songs aren't filler, but simply pieces which didn't fit into the original concept but are worthy of release on their own. Ride is of special note - a song based on a riff by Bill Hicks, and sung by Geoff Wootton, whose voice provides a nice contrast to Godfrey's more 'rock' delivery.

I could go on forever - but basically my advice is to buy this album. This really does fulfil the criteria for five stars - an essential part of any progressive rock lover's collection.

Wide Awake at Midnight

Self-identified as "the world's smallest progressive rock band", Tinyfish has, ironically, created one of the biggest progressive rock albums in 2010 with The Big Red Spark. Boasting a stunning concept, a fantastic cast of musicians, and a professional overall product, Tinyfish has created a serious contender for progressive rock album of the year 2010. This album rocks when it needs to, it lets the atmosphere absorb you at the appropriate times, and, most importantly, it is amazing the whole way through. If you're a fan of the modern progressive rock scene, I would check out The Big Red Spark sooner rather than later. These guys may be a tiny fish (pun intended) in the ocean of progressive rock, but they have a big enough sound to really stand out from the crowd. I really hope that Tinyfish gets the recognition they deserve for The Big Red Spark outside of their dedicated cult following - they definitely deserve it.

Tinyfish sounds like a cross between Echolyn, Spock's Beard, Marillion, Porcupine Tree, and a bit of Pink Floyd. The vocal harmonies and complex tendencies remind me of early Spock's Beard and Echolyn, whereas the more atmospheric tendencies hint towards Pink Floyd, and the melancholic emotions are akin to fellow British bands Porcupine Tree and new-era Marillion. Tinyfish seem to have found the perfect balance between being melancholic and still having fun. The Big Red Spark is a concept album (aside from the closing track) about a machine that can grant man's wishes, which we later find out has some setbacks. My only real complaint with the entire album is that the final track, "Wide Awake at Midnight" feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the album. It's a fantastic song, but the fact that it's the only song on the entire album that's not part of The Big Red Spark Suite, it feels a bit awkward as a closing song. Aside from that small nitpicky complaint, I have no other issues about the album. The concept rarely gets in the way of the music, and the vast majority of the songs here are progressive rock masterpieces. Tracks like "Rainland", "Wide Awake at Midnight", "I'm Not Crashing", and "The Big Red Spark" are all terrific examples of what Tinyfish is all about.

The cast of musicians in Tinyfish are all very talented. They are technically a four-piece band, although Rob Ramsey is only responsible for the spoken word portions of the album. Simon Godfrey, who is responsible for vocals, drums, and rhythm guitar, is often the highlight for me. He has a spectacular voice with a great tone and impressive range. In addition to the four core members, there are also a host of guest musicians, all responsible for vocals, spoken word sections, and keyboard duties.

The production is simply amazing. It sounds very modern and is filled to the brim with great atmospheric qualities. No complaints here.

Conclusion:

The Big Red Spark has often been considered one of the best prog albums from 2010, and after many dedicated listens, it's not hard to understand why. This strikingly original concept album with poignant lyrics and unforgettable music is enough to satisfy almost any listener. I was tempted to play my 5 star card here, but for now I'll go with a conservative 4.5 star rating. This is surely an essential modern prog album - long live Tinyfish!

The Concept Album. Reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated. Okay, I suppose it never really went away but it is certainly a format that has for a long time been at odds with current vogue, but finally help has arrived. In the hands of Tinyfish it has been imbued with new life - you might even say we've gone from Genesis to Revolution. Gone are the effete and flaky hippy ramblings that form the stereotypical image of such a beast to be replaced with a mean and lean slab of dark dystopian creativity and edgy, unpredictable twists. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you, The Big Red Spark.

Fusing together a mix of operatic guitar lines, swift dynamic changes and spoken word they have created an album that plays out like a dark futuristic warning and which sounds like the musical H.G.Wells may have written if he had been a young man today, or possibly Jeff Wayne getting to grips with Orwell's 1984.

Based around the vague concept of society's demise at the hands of the creation of a vast and unspecified technology, it manages to build a musical landscape that is at a turn aggressive, horrific, reflective and hopeful. The usual neo-progressive forms are often at work here but the shadows that loom large over their world for my money are those of Schoenberg, Kafka and even Muse rather than the more obvious references of say Rush and Marillion.

Musically it brings a lot to the table, but that music is as much part of the story telling as are the narrative segments, adding mood and atmosphere to the cold words and stark imagery that is being revealed. For every driven Rainland there is a warped orchestral Building the Machine and in between the voice of the Young Professor describes the cold machinations of the worlds demise.

In short it's a brilliantly conceived and wonderfully delivered piece of work and one that should find firm fans in a world whose media seems shored up by films of apocalyptic predictions and dark fantastic scenarios.

The concept album is dead, long live the concept album.

A cool SciFi ride even if the story and presentation (narration) is, at times, a bit over-dramatic. The elderly gentleman's narrative voice is much more powerful, much more 'natural' feeling that that of the younger man. Note the influences mentioned here and by others because they are very present: PINK FLOYD, SAGA, RUSH, PORCUPINE TREE, hence there is, at times, a bit of a favor given to drama over music complexity. Nice music throughout, nothing earth-shatteringly new or innovative but a great story well told. Agree: "Wide Awake at Midnight" doesn't fit with the album's concept theme, should have been saved for another album or the bonus song list. 3.5 star album. Rating it down for inconsistency and lack of anything really new or exciting musically.

Faves: the PINK FLOYD-ish "I'm not Crashing," the STEVEN WILSON-like "Weak Machine," and "The Final Act" (weird to hear Nietzsche's name sung!) ("Loose Ends, Pt. 2" sounds like I should be watching this show on stage as a Broadway musical . . . Who knows!)

Let me put it bluntly and first say what this album is full of: it is crammed with short soundscapes, intros, outros, interludes, long speeches, musical bridges between songs, storylines and narrative twists. On the other hand, what this disc is thin on is songs and music. For your money you get no more than five proper songs (as opposed to some shreds of themes overloaded with sound effects) which include "Rainland," "Bad Weather Road," "I'm Not Crashing," "The Big Red Spark," and "Wide Awake At Midnight." These songs sound like a modernized, heavy take on neo-prog (think later Galahad and Arena). The rest of the album is just one huge filler of movie-style sounds and pretentious talking. Yes, these guys are brilliant at creating various moods in their short ambient sketches (e.g. "Building the Machine" is brimming with suspense); and a couple of songs (especially "I'm Not Crashing" ? easily the best track on the album) demonstrate that they have something to show in the songwriting department. But there is just too little of it. Instead we are fed a ridiculously pompous concept story, hardly intelligible even after visiting the band's website, with self-aggrandizing references to Nietzsche and various XX utopian literature. C'mon, if I want to read philosophy I will pick up a book. Such pseudo-intellectual aspirations are used, in my opinion, to mask the glaring absence at the heart of the album ? the absence of music. Don't be fooled by some of the rave reviews: there is lots of pretense and little substance on this disc. Besides, a two-disc set is kinda pricey and it's definitely not worth the money. The bonus DVD is supposed to contain three additional songs which I've never bothered to explore, nor ever will. In short, don't bother, there are much better albums around.

When I first heard this album I have to admit, I hated it. The narration was a nice idea, but overdone to the point of being annoying. But then after a few plays I have to admit that it's grown on me immensly. The stand out track for me is 'Rainland', which starts with a great tribal rhythm and screaming wah guitar. Ther title track itself is also very strong. The overall sound of the album is quite slick and modern, and nicely produced. I suggest that if you buy this album, give it a few plays, because I'm sure it'll grow on you as it did me.

3.5 stars