Big Big Train v. "The Likes Of Us" OUT NOW; European Tour Sept/Oct 2024!

[HOF]

Had one full listen through with headphones on (something I haven't done in a long while), and I've got to say, even though I've already heard 6 of the 9 songs in full (7 counting the stripped down version of the title track), this album is *really* good to my ears when everything is put together.

This is definitely an experimental album compared to anything else they've released in the last 13 years, but I like it. It's great to hear writing from Nick, Rikard, and Carly, as they all add their own flavors to the band.

As for the three new-to-me tracks, Rikard's instrumental has hints of his other bands' works, but infused with Greg and Nick laying down a solid rhythm section.

"Oak And Stone" might be a bit of a grower for me, but I don't dislike it. I definitely need more time with it.

And the closing, title track, while quirky and a bit unusual for BBT, is amazing. It's got a lot of middle-to-late Beatles vibes but through a bit of a proggier lens. I can see how some folks may not like this one, but I think it works, and it works quite well for me, and a suitable album closer.

Is it too early to say this is AOTY material? 😅

-Marc.

I’d expect nothing less from BBT!

The ending to Oak and Stone is wonderful, and even though it’s a GS piece, Nick and Rikard were responsible for the ending, which is cool to hear.

Oh I didn't know that about "Oak And Stone"! Very nice, I'm happy to hear that the band are so closely working together on all of these songs and adding to each other's base material.

And speaking of how songs were made, the song-story entry for the title track has been posted to the band's website! Some very insightful thoughts from Carly on how she created the album's closing piece.

-Marc.

I was on there the other night and that's where I saw about Oak and Stone having that contribution from Nick and Rikard. They were sort of quietly updating those blog sections. Will have to go check out Carly's.

[ProfessorPeart]

After spending the last few evenings bouncing around their Bandcamp page, I pulled the trigger today. Had to go to 3 different places to get everything and I still could not get it all in the format I would like.

CD's

Underfall 2 CD, Grand Tour and Welcome from Bandwagon
Grimspound, Empire and Common Ground from my favorite eBay store

Downloads

English Electric: Full Power, Folklore (with the 2 Wassail non-album tracks in the running order, or as they said, the vinyl order), London Song and Second Brightest Star all from their Bandcamp.

I could find no physical copies anywhere for the downloads. If I did, it was unreal prices. Most of these downloads are 24/48 or 24/96. EE is over 2 GB!

Now I have to start going through it all once it all arrives. I'm downloading the Bandcamp stuff as I type this so I can at least get into some of that this weekend.

[The Letter M]

After spending the last few evenings bouncing around their Bandcamp page, I pulled the trigger today. Had to go to 3 different places to get everything and I still could not get it all in the format I would like.

CD's

Underfall 2 CD, Grand Tour and Welcome from Bandwagon
Grimspound, Empire and Common Ground from my favorite eBay store

Downloads

English Electric: Full Power, Folklore (with the 2 Wassail non-album tracks in the running order, or as they said, the vinyl order), London Song and Second Brightest Star all from their Bandcamp.

I could find no physical copies anywhere for the downloads. If I did, it was unreal prices. Most of these downloads are 24/48 or 24/96. EE is over 2 GB!

Now I have to start going through it all once it all arrives. I'm downloading the Bandcamp stuff as I type this so I can at least get into some of that this weekend.

Welcome aboard the Big Big Train! Seems like you've gotten almost every major album from the band since David Longdon joined, though I see you're missing Far Skies Deep Time, while labeled an EP, contains six songs that are just as good as anything else the band has done.  If you can, definitely try to check it out!

Also, the version of "London Song" from bandcamp is the original version, but the version on the Japanese released 2-CD compilation Summer's Lease is better as it contains extra instrumentation between the individual songs to help the piece feel more cohesive. Actually, that compilation is pretty great in its own right, especially if you can't find a copy of Far Skies Deep Time with the song "Kingmaker" (as older versions of FSDT had either "Kingmaker" or "Master Of Time" as the opening track, but the 2017 remaster/re-issue had both songs).

Anyways, enjoy your journey, and I hope to hear what your thoughts are on the albums as you get into them!

-Marc.

[HOF]

After spending the last few evenings bouncing around their Bandcamp page, I pulled the trigger today. Had to go to 3 different places to get everything and I still could not get it all in the format I would like.

CD's

Underfall 2 CD, Grand Tour and Welcome from Bandwagon
Grimspound, Empire and Common Ground from my favorite eBay store

Downloads

English Electric: Full Power, Folklore (with the 2 Wassail non-album tracks in the running order, or as they said, the vinyl order), London Song and Second Brightest Star all from their Bandcamp.

I could find no physical copies anywhere for the downloads. If I did, it was unreal prices. Most of these downloads are 24/48 or 24/96. EE is over 2 GB!

Now I have to start going through it all once it all arrives. I'm downloading the Bandcamp stuff as I type this so I can at least get into some of that this weekend.

Heck yeah, that’s a haul. You’re in for a good time!

I hate how hard it is to find physical copies of some of these. Just the nature of a small independent band I guess, but it stinks if you’re just getting into them now. Hopefully some day these will get reissued again.

[The Letter M]

I hate how hard it is to find physical copies of some of these. Just the nature of a small independent band I guess, but it stinks if you’re just getting into them now. Hopefully some day these will get reissued again.

It is pretty difficult, especially if you're a vinyl collector, which thankfully I am not. But I have been collecting their CDs since late 2012, and I'm glad I discovered them when I did.




Probably my favorite discography in my collection just based on music and art alone, as well as the presentation on the digibooks. The art by Jim Trainer and Sarah Ewing is just so evocative and stunning, worthy of the power and beauty that BBT music exudes.

Edit - so I was perusing the album booklet for WTTP and realized that the brass ensemble feature on FIVE songs on the new album, compared to just two on Common Ground. That fact alone might give the new album one up on the previous one, as I feel like the brass really are a trademark part of BBT's sound, so it's nice that they included them in so much of the music this time around.

-Marc.

[HOF]

Just wanted to throw some love toward’s Rikard’s A Room With No Ceiling. Part of me thinks it would have been cool to stretch it out into a full song with lyrics, but as it is it’s a fun little instrumental. Accordion for the win!

[Kram]

After spending the last few evenings bouncing around their Bandcamp page, I pulled the trigger today. Had to go to 3 different places to get everything and I still could not get it all in the format I would like.

CD's

Underfall 2 CD, Grand Tour and Welcome from Bandwagon
Grimspound, Empire and Common Ground from my favorite eBay store

Downloads

English Electric: Full Power, Folklore (with the 2 Wassail non-album tracks in the running order, or as they said, the vinyl order), London Song and Second Brightest Star all from their Bandcamp.

I could find no physical copies anywhere for the downloads. If I did, it was unreal prices. Most of these downloads are 24/48 or 24/96. EE is over 2 GB!

Now I have to start going through it all once it all arrives. I'm downloading the Bandcamp stuff as I type this so I can at least get into some of that this weekend.

You're in for a treat.  All of their stuff I've gotten so far has been absolutely amazing!  English Electric Full Power has become one of my all-time favorite albums by anyone!  Enjoy the ride!

[ProfessorPeart]

Thanks to Marc for pointing out Far Skies Deep Time. I missed that in my inventory check. I did see the Summer's Lease comp on their Bandcamp and the mention of a more filled out London Song. They want 10 pounds for that one and I wanted to dig into the other stuff before I decided if I really needed the whole thing or just a couple of tracks. That's the nice thing with Bandcamp, the ability to purchase uncompressed individual tracks when need be.

The version of Far Skies Deep Time on the Bandcamp only has Kingmaker. They don't seem to offer Master of Time anywhere digitally. As expected, physical copies of either are few and far between and a king's ransom. I'll probably pick up Far Skies Deep Time on the Bandcamp and maybe a handful from Summer's.

I only got about halfway through Folklore last night. Loved it all so far. I am a huge Rikard fanboy so I wanted to start with an album he is on. I know he is only a bit player at this point in the band and I'm obviously not expecting Beardfish or Gungfly. Either way, only briefly in and all good so far.

[The Letter M]

Thanks to Marc for pointing out Far Skies Deep Time. I missed that in my inventory check. I did see the Summer's Lease comp on their Bandcamp and the mention of a more filled out London Song. They want 10 pounds for that one and I wanted to dig into the other stuff before I decided if I really needed the whole thing or just a couple of tracks. That's the nice thing with Bandcamp, the ability to purchase uncompressed individual tracks when need be.

The version of Far Skies Deep Time on the Bandcamp only has Kingmaker. They don't seem to offer Master of Time anywhere digitally. As expected, physical copies of either are few and far between and a king's ransom. I'll probably pick up Far Skies Deep Time on the Bandcamp and maybe a handful from Summer's.

I only got about halfway through Folklore last night. Loved it all so far. I am a huge Rikard fanboy so I wanted to start with an album he is on. I know he is only a bit player at this point in the band and I'm obviously not expecting Beardfish or Gungfly. Either way, only briefly in and all good so far.

Rikard's contributions steadily grew as the years/albums went on, but he was really well utilized on the live stage. If you watch Empire or Reflectors Of Light, you can see him play quite bit of things throughout their concerts and he's a very jack-of-all-trades performer on stage.

As for Summer's Lease, there is one new song recorded specifically for that album ("Don't Forget The Telescope") as well as other first-time-on-CD releases of older songs redone. Sad to hear that "Master Of Time" isn't available on their bandcamp! It is only just an Anthony Philips cover so not even a BBT original, but if you want to listen to it, I'm sure it's on YouTube somewhere.

Glad you're enjoying Folklore! It's definitely a standout album, IMO, and a bit of a departure from the more English countryside/pastoral feel that English Electric was, especially with tunes like the Peter Gabriel-esque "Wassail" and the title track, as well as one of my personal favorites "The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun".

-Marc.

[ProfessorPeart]

Yeah, I watched the video of Hedgerow on YouTube from Empire and what really struck me was the pure joy in Rikard as he was performing. You can tell how much he loved that band. Then I saw a sealed copy on eBay for $28 and snatched it up.

Already got a shipping notice from Bandwagon and I expect the other batch to ship soon from eBay. I've made 2 other purchases from that seller recently and usually had the stuff in a few days.

[HOF]

I only got about halfway through Folklore last night. Loved it all so far. I am a huge Rikard fanboy so I wanted to start with an album he is on. I know he is only a bit player at this point in the band and I'm obviously not expecting Beardfish or Gungfly. Either way, only briefly in and all good so far.

I was thinking about Rikard's contributions to BBT today. He's actually done relatively little in BBT as a main writer just in terms of the songs he's composed just by himself. He's credited with a few short instrumentals, and then he wrote the music for one relative epic that is a bit of a fan favorite (A Mead Hall in Winter). I'm not super familiar with Beardfish, but I love the Gungfly albums, and he has a pretty distinctive style. That comes through somewhat in the songs he has composed for BBT, but I get the sense that maybe he wants to keep his own style separate from BBT (or vice versa). That said, his instrumental on the new album, A Room With No Ceiling, does have a definite Gungfly flavor to it.

I think what Rikard brings to BBT that seems to be pretty invaluable is just a wealth of versatility in terms of what he can play (acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, vocals, accordion!). He allows them to really fill out the sound live, but he also adds a lot of color in the parts he contributes to the songs on record. He's had his share of memorable solos since joining (the closing solo on Transit of Venus is one great example). He also did a lot of cool stuff from a keyboard standpoint on Common Ground, and on Welcome To the Planet I'm hearing some really interesting guitar parts here and there (the surf guitar on Bats in the Belfry, the guitars on the title track). He's not always out front and center, but his contributions are always significant if that makes sense.

To be honest, when he first joined the band in more than a live capacity on Folklore* I kind of thought, "well, I'd rather hear more Dave Gregory than a second guitarist." But I'm really glad he came on board, especially since Gregory left, but also now with Longdon's passing. He not only brings his versatile playing, but he's also another prolific writer who they can maybe lean on more in David's absence. I love the little ending he and Nick came up with for Oak and Stone, which is another reminder that the band has plenty of talent on board if they do choose to carry on.

*Technically it was for the Wassail EP I suppose.

[The Letter M]

Given the diversity in writing contributions since Grand Tour, I think we can expect more writing from Nick and Rikard, as well as Dave Foster and Carly now that they are in the band in full with WTTP.

I keep spinning WTTP and everytime, I fall in love with the title track just a bit more. It's quite different and unique from the rest of the band's catalog, but it has so many sounds and emotions that it just feels quite fitting to close the album! My only quibble might be that I wish the New Orleans street-band jam lasted twice as long, it's just enough to be a good taste of that sound, but it also doesn't super overstay its welcome either, but I just wish it was a bit longer. Ah well, it's still a great track.

I'm sure I'm not totally biased here, but WTTP is definitely another winner for me, much like CG was last year. At this point, they could release 40 minutes of brass and low-volume humming while Nick swishes cymbals and I'd be praising the album. I just hope there is a bright future ahead of them after the darkness that has befallen the band over the last two months. I'm more excited not to see where things may go after hearing this album in full.

-Marc.

[HOF]

I’m totally on board with WTTP (the album and track) as well. I love all the new directions and diversity of the album. If I have any (minor) quibbles, the album doesn’t sound quite as crystal clear as Common Ground. Something with the low end is causing it to sound a bit muddled to my ears. Nothing bad of course, just noticeably different than Common Ground, which might be the best sounding album ever.

The other thing that I kind of hope Greg moves away from a bit is he has a habit of using harmony vocals to finish off a vocal line (see the opening of Lanterna and Oak and Stone. David starts a line, and then the whole band comes in to finish it off). It’s something David Longdon introduced way back on TUY, but lately it feels like all of Greg’s longer songs employ it (Roman Stone, Voyager, Atlantic Cable as well). Nothing wrong with the technique in general, but it feels like it’s being overused a bit. Again, a minor quibble.

I listened to both Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet last night, and they are both wonderful albums. Different from those early Longdon albums for sure, but fantastic in their own right.

[The Letter M]

I’m totally on board with WTTP (the album and track) as well. I love all the new directions and diversity of the album. If I have any (minor) quibbles, the album doesn’t sound quite as crystal clear as Common Ground. Something with the low end is causing it to sound a bit muddled to my ears. Nothing bad of course, just noticeably different than Common Ground, which might be the best sounding album ever.

The other thing that I kind of hope Greg moves away from a bit is he has a habit of using harmony vocals to finish off a vocal line (see the opening of Lanterna and Oak and Stone. David starts a line, and then the whole band comes in to finish it off). It’s something David Longdon introduced way back on TUY, but lately it feels like all of Greg’s longer songs employ it (Roman Stone, Voyager, Atlantic Cable as well). Nothing wrong with the technique in general, but it feels like it’s being overused a bit. Again, a minor quibble.

I listened to both Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet last night, and they are both wonderful albums. Different from those early Longdon albums for sure, but fantastic in their own right.

I've never really noticed that vocal delivery quirk you mentioned, but now I'll have to keep an ear out for it. Given that there have been so many vocalists in the band, now more than ever, I don't think it's something that will go away anytime soon. I really enjoy hearing their dense harmonies and vocal deliveries, it really adds a lot of to the texture of their music, especially when you hear it against the brass ensemble and other things like bass pedals and acoustic guitars. It's all dense by somehow there's a bit of space in there as well that lets everything kind of breathe in its own place.

I also did a CG/WTTP listen the other night and really enjoyed it. Definitely all turning points in the band's history, and it's a shame that we were robbed of the chance to hear those songs played live with David. If they ever play them on the stage, I'm still eager to hear how they'll sound, regardless of who is singing the songs.

-Marc.

[Zydar]

Okay, that title track was... unique. I don't have much else to say yet 

Overall I really enjoy the album. I hadn't heard anything from it in advance, so I went in with fresh ears.

[The Letter M]

Okay, that title track was... unique. I don't have much else to say yet 

Overall I really enjoy the album. I hadn't heard anything from it in advance, so I went in with fresh ears.

Oh that's good. I, of course, had heard all the songs they released prior to the album coming out, so I had already heard 6 of the album's 9 tracks before last week, but it's great to hear them all together in the proper order.

I'm sure the title track will be quite the surprise for many fans, and I can see it being a divisive piece for a lot of listeners.

In lieu of getting the Belle Antique Japanese release of the WTTP right away (though I will buy a copy eventually), I found a site to purchase and download the bonus track. As it turns out "Endnotes Overture" is a two-and-a-half minute brass ensemble piece that reprises some themes from Endnotes, and it sounds amazing. I wonder if it was written with the intention to perform it live as an introduction to the concert or before "Endnotes" or another song from the CG/WTTP group of songs. Either way, if any of the die-hard Passengers here can, definitely seek this track out. Probably more enjoyable than the previous two Belle Antique bonus tracks (which were Rikard piano solos at the end of Grand Tour and Common Ground, which aren't awful per se, but hearing the brass ensemble to an overture is a treat).

-Marc.

[ProfessorPeart]

Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.

I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.

All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.

[Zydar]

Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. 

Hedgerow has quickly become a favourite of mine lately, it's definitely in my Top 5 of BBT songs at the moment.

[HOF]

Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.

I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.

All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.

Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).

[HOF]

The February newsletter from BBT:

The new Big Big Train album, Welcome To The Planet was released on 28th January and is available on CD and vinyl for immediate shipping from our official stores at Burning Shed and Bandwagon USA and for download from our Bandcamp store. All the links to our stores can be found at the bottom of this message. The album is also available at Amazon, HMV and other music retailers.

The band’s previous two albums – Grand Tour in 2019 and Common Ground in 2021 - both reached Top 40 in the UK official albums charts. To honour our beloved band mate David and to help spread his musical legacy as widely as possible we would be very pleased if we were able to achieve a hat-trick of Top 40 releases with Welcome To The Planet.

For those who haven’t yet purchased or listened, a purchase or streaming before Friday of this week will be counted as part of the chart assessment process.

We don’t yet know what the future for Big Big Train will be but we will shortly be giving consideration to whether we can continue as a band.

We would like to thank all of our listeners for their support during this very difficult period.

Best wishes

Carly, Clare, Dave, Gregory, Nick and Rikard

Big Big Train

Kind of hard to read that bolded part. I know the band lost a lot of money on their previously canceled US tour, and may have been far enough along in planning for the most recent cancelled tours to have lost a load more. I kind of get the sense that they are waiting to see how the new album does, so hopefully a strong reception will encourage them to carry on. I will say Nick did an interview from Drumeo last week, and I got the sense from his enthusiasm that if it’s up to him the band would carry on. I imagine it’s mostly up to Greg, and perhaps mostly up to whether they have any possibility of digging out of their losses if they can’t make money from touring (they lost money on their UK tour for Grand Tour, and I’m not sure the expected to make much of anything from their US tours had they gone forward). It would really be a shame if they call it quits, but that may just have to be the reality for the time being at least.

[Kram]

Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.

I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.

All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.

Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).

I really like Leopards too, but it's one of the tracks that took a little longer to appreciate.  The whole album is great, but for me, the run of songs from Hedgerow to East Coast Racer, is some of the best music I've ever heard!

[Kram]

The February newsletter from BBT:

The new Big Big Train album, Welcome To The Planet was released on 28th January and is available on CD and vinyl for immediate shipping from our official stores at Burning Shed and Bandwagon USA and for download from our Bandcamp store. All the links to our stores can be found at the bottom of this message. The album is also available at Amazon, HMV and other music retailers.

The band’s previous two albums – Grand Tour in 2019 and Common Ground in 2021 - both reached Top 40 in the UK official albums charts. To honour our beloved band mate David and to help spread his musical legacy as widely as possible we would be very pleased if we were able to achieve a hat-trick of Top 40 releases with Welcome To The Planet.

For those who haven’t yet purchased or listened, a purchase or streaming before Friday of this week will be counted as part of the chart assessment process.

We don’t yet know what the future for Big Big Train will be but we will shortly be giving consideration to whether we can continue as a band.

We would like to thank all of our listeners for their support during this very difficult period.

Best wishes

Carly, Clare, Dave, Gregory, Nick and Rikard

Big Big Train

Kind of hard to read that bolded part. I know the band lost a lot of money on their previously canceled US tour, and may have been far enough along in planning for the most recent cancelled tours to have lost a load more. I kind of get the sense that they are waiting to see how the new album does, so hopefully a strong reception will encourage them to carry on. I will say Nick did an interview from Drumeo last week, and I got the sense from his enthusiasm that if it’s up to him the band would carry on. I imagine it’s mostly up to Greg, and perhaps mostly up to whether they have any possibility of digging out of their losses if they can’t make money from touring (they lost money on their UK tour for Grand Tour, and I’m not sure the expected to make much of anything from their US tours had they gone forward). It would really be a shame if they call it quits, but that may just have to be the reality for the time being at least.

Yes, that's really tough to read, but I get it from their perspective.  I'm sure they need more time to both heal their wounds and sort out if they have a path forward.  Very difficult situation for everyone (fans included) involved.

[HOF]

Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.

I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.

All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.

Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).

I really like Leopards too, but it's one of the tracks that took a little longer to appreciate.  The whole album is great, but for me, the run of songs from Hedgerow to East Coast Racer, is some of the best music I've ever heard!

The closing trio of The Permanent Way, East Coast Racer, and Curator of Butterflies is especially magnificent IMO. Hard pressed to find a stronger run of music on another album.

[Zydar]

I don't know if it's already been discussed here, but is there a particular song or anything on the new album that points to a possible direction for the band if they decide to carry on?

[The Letter M]

I don't know if it's already been discussed here, but is there a particular song or anything on the new album that points to a possible direction for the band if they decide to carry on?

The last two albums have definitely seen the band branch out stylistically, and allowing more of their members contribute to the writing. I think if they continue as a band, that aspect will also continue to develop and perhaps they'll have more diverse albums going forward, such as Rikard's instrumental and Carly's closing track on WTTP.

-Marc.

[HOF]

I don't know if it's already been discussed here, but is there a particular song or anything on the new album that points to a possible direction for the band if they decide to carry on?

The last two albums have definitely seen the band branch out stylistically, and allowing more of their members contribute to the writing. I think if they continue as a band, that aspect will also continue to develop and perhaps they'll have more diverse albums going forward, such as Rikard's instrumental and Carly's closing track on WTTP.

-Marc.

Yeah, if there was a track that suggests a potential new direction, the title track would be it at least in terms of what Carly might bring to the table as a vocalist and writer. But I think you’d also see Nick playing a bigger role, so stuff like The Connection Plan and All The Love You Can Give would be indicators, and Rikard will likely put more of his stamp on things. Greg will always likely be the main songwriter, so I doubt things will change too radically. I think the biggest shift would be building songs around Nick and Carly’s voices or whoever the new singer would be.

[Kram]

Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.

I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.

All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.

Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).

I really like Leopards too, but it's one of the tracks that took a little longer to appreciate.  The whole album is great, but for me, the run of songs from Hedgerow to East Coast Racer, is some of the best music I've ever heard!

The closing trio of The Permanent Way, East Coast Racer, and Curator of Butterflies is especially magnificent IMO. Hard pressed to find a stronger run of music on another album.

Yes, Curator of Butterflies is great and brings you back down to earth after East Coast Racer.  Actually I'd say from A Boy in Darkness to Curator of Butterflies is pretty close to perfection for me..

[RoeDent]

The title track Welcome to the Planet is incredible! Absolutely unlike anything else they've done. They've never done the ethereal echoey harmony vocal thing before, certainly not female-led. One very minor thing I wished is that they would jam on that fun "party" section where they speed up a bit for another minute or so before bringing it back home.

[The Letter M]

The title track Welcome to the Planet is incredible! Absolutely unlike anything else they've done. They've never done the ethereal echoey harmony vocal thing before, certainly not female-led. One very minor thing I wished is that they would jam on that fun "party" section where they speed up a bit for another minute or so before bringing it back home.

I've had the same sentiments about that New Orleans street-band section, that I wish it was twice as long, but it's just enough to whet the appetite for that kind of music shoved into a song after some mid-era Beatles-y vocal choir. I always find myself quite excited to reach the end of WTTP now to get to the title track. Easily a favorite of mine from the album so far!

I don't know if it's already been discussed here, but is there a particular song or anything on the new album that points to a possible direction for the band if they decide to carry on?

The last two albums have definitely seen the band branch out stylistically, and allowing more of their members contribute to the writing. I think if they continue as a band, that aspect will also continue to develop and perhaps they'll have more diverse albums going forward, such as Rikard's instrumental and Carly's closing track on WTTP.

-Marc.

Yeah, if there was a track that suggests a potential new direction, the title track would be it at least in terms of what Carly might bring to the table as a vocalist and writer. But I think you’d also see Nick playing a bigger role, so stuff like The Connection Plan and All The Love You Can Give would be indicators, and Rikard will likely put more of his stamp on things. Greg will always likely be the main songwriter, so I doubt things will change too radically. I think the biggest shift would be building songs around Nick and Carly’s voices or whoever the new singer would be.

"The Connection Plan" is another good example of where things might go. I was surprised to learn that the violinist was someone that NDV brought it and recorded at Sweetwater. There are actually 3 different violinists on the album, with Clare on two other songs and Aidan returning from Common Ground for two more songs. If they do continue into this direction musically, I won't be upset as Common Ground and WTTP have both been very good!

Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.

I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.

All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.

Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).

I really like Leopards too, but it's one of the tracks that took a little longer to appreciate.  The whole album is great, but for me, the run of songs from Hedgerow to East Coast Racer, is some of the best music I've ever heard!

The closing trio of The Permanent Way, East Coast Racer, and Curator of Butterflies is especially magnificent IMO. Hard pressed to find a stronger run of music on another album.

Yes, Curator of Butterflies is great and brings you back down to earth after East Coast Racer.  Actually I'd say from A Boy in Darkness to Curator of Butterflies is pretty close to perfection for me..

As I've said before here, BBT have pretty much perfected the "Penultimate Epic -> Come Down ballad/softer song" way of ending an album. Every time they've done it, it's been my favorite part of the album.

-Marc.

[ProfessorPeart]

Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.

[HOF]

Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.

TSBS is not my favorite release by BBT, but it’s worth owning for the complete version of London Plane alone (with the Turner on the Thames intro), plus the amazing Terra Australis Incognita. The Brookland Sequence is nice to have in one track as well, though there isn’t any new music from what is included on other releases. The other track on there that I really like is The Leaden Stour.

[Fritzinger]

Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.

TSBS is not my favorite release by BBT, but it’s worth owning for the complete version of London Plane alone (with the Turner on the Thames intro), plus the amazing Terra Australis Incognita. The Brookland Sequence is nice to have in one track as well, though there isn’t any new music from what is included on other releases. The other track on there that I really like is The Leaden Stour.

I think the title track is absolutely stunning 

[The Letter M]

Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.

TSBS is not my favorite release by BBT, but it’s worth owning for the complete version of London Plane alone (with the Turner on the Thames intro), plus the amazing Terra Australis Incognita. The Brookland Sequence is nice to have in one track as well, though there isn’t any new music from what is included on other releases. The other track on there that I really like is The Leaden Stour.

I think the title track is absolutely stunning 

The title track is pretty good, one of my favorites, as well as Skylon. I think the album has great songs but it doesn't work well as an album, more so a compilation, especially given that there's about 40 minutes of stand alone new music here. It's a fine cap to the Folklore/Grimspound era, but don't forget to include rhe Merry Christmas/Snowfalls single as well!

-Marc.

[HOF]

Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.

TSBS is not my favorite release by BBT, but it’s worth owning for the complete version of London Plane alone (with the Turner on the Thames intro), plus the amazing Terra Australis Incognita. The Brookland Sequence is nice to have in one track as well, though there isn’t any new music from what is included on other releases. The other track on there that I really like is The Leaden Stour.

I think the title track is absolutely stunning 

The title track is pretty good, one of my favorites, as well as Skylon. I think the album has great songs but it doesn't work well as an album, more so a compilation, especially given that there's about 40 minutes of stand alone new music here. It's a fine cap to the Folklore/Grimspound era, but don't forget to include rhe Merry Christmas/Snowfalls single as well!

-Marc.

I had meant to say something to ProfessorPeart about the Merry Christmas EP. Not that he doesn’t have plenty of BBT music to tide him over for now, but Snowfalls is an upper tier BBT song in my book and absolutely a must have at some point (and Merry Christmas is also great as holiday tunes go). That one is still available in physical format from Bandwagon.

[ProfessorPeart]

Yeah, I have a stack of BBT on my desk right now. It all came. Plus I still need a few things from the Bandcamp page. I'll be busy for a bit.