THE UNDERFALL YARD

This would be my fourth BBT purchase, with the first being "Goodbye to the Age of Steam" way back in the mid-90s. I'll give them credit for maintaining creativity and musicality in the face of ever-changing vocalists (Martin Read from the old days remains my favorite). As with their previous releases, there's melancholy sound nicely melded to pastoral themes. Having lived in the UK for a few years, BBT and releases such as this immediately bring me back to what I miss about England outside of London - they definitely have a knack for evoking a certain space and imagery in your head. Overall, I'd really like to give this a 3.5. The "downgrading" is mostly do to a lack of individual standout tracks and really killer melodies, a real trait of BBT's in the past. I enjoy listening to the whole CD beginning to end, but its pleasantness can be criticized as too much of the same. But a nice plus is the guest appearances by Francis Dunnery and Gem Godfrey, both of who add some punch to the longest track.