ENGLISH ELECTRIC: FULL POWER

Hot on the heels of the excellent "English Electric, Part 2", Big Big Train has released an interesting boxset. This set includes the masterpiece "English Electric, Part 1", the strong but not quite as good "English Electric, Part 2", and four new songs, "Make Some Noise", "Seen Better Days", "Edgelands", and "The Lovers".

I gave 5 stars and 4 stars to Part 1 and 2 respectively, and so this set becomes a 4.5 star set automatically. It is interesting, however, that BBT has reordered the track list to accommodate the new songs, and so this is a little disconcerting at first. Yet, the music is still amazing, and I like that they inserted the new songs, rather than just throwing them on the end of the album. The question then becomes "Are the new songs any good"? The answer is, of course, "Yes".

"Make Some Noise" leads off the set as a more pop oriented tune. It certainly has a catchy chorus, but it also has an awesome flute solo near the end that is worth the wait. It's no 5 star song, but it's still strong. Next, "Seen Better Days" is a nice tune that is very standard BBT. It is melodic, has great vocal harmonies, and has that great nostalgic feeling. "Edgelands" is a gorgeous, short piano track that hints at some of the more familiar melodies from "Part 1". It is the first new track that is 5-star for me. It's simply peaceful and beauteous. Lastly, then, "The Lovers" is the strongest of the new tracks. This 5-star masterwork utilizes neo-prog synth at points, and has a skillful, brilliant instrumental section in the 3rd quarter. This song instantly felt right.

So, with two incredible albums, two masterpiece tracks, and two strong tracks; this boxset is indeed somewhat of a new experience and is deserving of 5 stars overall. I'm rather impressed with BBT over the last couple years, and it will be interesting to see if they can keep up this level of quality in the near future.