FOLKLORE

This is it, with this album Big Big Train truly establish themselves as prog gods, I mean, after THE UNDERFALL YARD and the live triumph of STONE AND STEEL there couldn't be any doubt, but FOLKLORE makes it plain: this band reaches heights few can aspire to. In my opinion FOLKLORE is even stronger than its immediate successor, GRIMSPOUND, mainly because it rocks harder. To my surprise, some reviewers have complained that FOLKLORE features tunes that are easy on the ear - a form of reasoning I really don't understand! Just think about it: 'Firth of Fifth', 'Mother Goose' and 'Karn Evil 9' all sound supremely catchy (at least in part) and they're from albums many of us recognise as masterpieces... Moreover, anyone who listens without prejudice must notice that David Longdon's lead vocal now sounds more confident and more mature than ever. Furthermore, the album as a whole benefits from the prominent violin playing of Rachel Hall. Finally, while FOLKLORE boasts fewer soaring guitar solos than THE UNDERFALL YARD, I was delighted by the large number of imaginative keyboard solos. All in all, I simply have to agree with those Prog Archives colleagues who have stated that FOLKLORE shows BBT at the top of their game.

All of which makes me wonder: how is it possible BBT aren't even mentioned in ROCK PROGRESSIF, Aymeric Leroy's authoritative French study of the genre (2014) or in THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS by David Weigl (2017), an informal chronicle which caused quite a stir in the U.S. media? Both Weigl and Leroy are sympathetic towards progressive rock and devote entire chapters to the "rebirth" of the genre after its 1980s nadir. Does BBT music (in all its Englishness) have difficulty travelling across the pond? Surely everyone will notice that (especially since 2009) BBT have mastered the classic 1970s British prog sound AND are taking it in exciting new directions?

In the past, bands such as Yes were habitually accused of sounding "over-technical". I finally realised how wrong this was when I heard Rick Wakeman say that for him Yes's music was all about emotion - which lay mainly in Jon Anderson's voice. Well, folks, apart from the virtuosity BBT so abundantly display, I can think of no other current prog band that convey subtle feelings in such a sophisticated manner. Long may BBT thrive!

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