I ordered the deluxe package (or whatever it's called -- the one with the CD and the 5.1 Blu-ray) and it arrived yesterday. I listened to it twice last night, and again this morning. Wow! I was actually a little worried because "Love is the Light" is a nice enough song, but hardly the amazing, expansive prog I've come to expect from BBT, and "Oblivion" was pretty cool, very intense, but also somehow seemed a bit on the simple side. Maybe that's why they were the advance singles; I don't know. "Miramare" was more adventurous, but the video was so bad that I just found it distracting, and at that point I decided to just wait. I really don't remember much about "Miramare" other than the video. That's not how it's supposed to work.
But within the context of the album as a whole, "Love is the Light" and "Oblivion" were both great, as was the rest of the album. I tried something different this time; rather than listening while reading through liner notes and looking at pictures, I just pressed Play and let it go. I listened "blind". So I have no idea even which songs were which, except for the singles I'd heard before, and things flowed so well that I didn't even know when we'd gone to a different song, a different movement of the same song, or what.
Alberto seems pretty cool. We've had plenty of chances to see what he's done with the older BBT songs, and I like his way of mostly channeling David yet putting his own mark on things. But this album was obviously a big test, and he and the rest of the new lineup have passed with flying colors. As I said, the singles I'd heard concerned me, but the album as a whole feels really consistent, and it sounds really good.
Now I just have to wait for some time when Mrs. Orbert is out, so I can crank up the 5.1 surround mix in the living room.
Topic: Big Big Train v. "The Likes Of Us" OUT NOW; European Tour Sept/Oct 2024! (Read 111046 times)