Well now, here’s something that completely took me not only by surprise, but completely off-guard. So, I’ve always been skeptical of Big Big Train. Maybe because I wasn’t quite sure of what to think of their music, or maybe I just wasn’t ready for it yet. When I leapt at the chance to review their new album Woodcut, released from the InsideOut label, I’ve decided to see and hear what their music sounded like.
And right after the first four tracks, I was delved right into their music. Mind you, I’ve always written something about which bands and artists that have caught my earphones with wide-eyes and at times, jaw-dropping momentum on my 32GB reviewing iPod Touch. This one, here was like opening up the crystalised doors to reveal its true power and its true honesty to see what they’ve got up their sleeves.
For 36 years, Big Big Train have kept the Prog flag waving strong and proud. Releasing 15 albums from 1994 to 2024, it has been this incredible ride the band have been on. Not to mention it’s been five years since they lost their lead vocalist David Longdon. For them to carry on with former Premiata Forneria Marconi singer Alberto Bravin and Dim Gray’s Oskar Holldorff taking over Carly Bryant’s role as keyboardist, they soldier on and keeping the train chugging. Their new album Woodcut is a conceptual story about a struggling artist who finds this magical piece of heartwood, creating something that he thinks its different. Maybe something dream-like, then steps into this Narnia-like woodcut universe.
With a striking cover done by Dorset-based artist Robin Mackenzie, which is a black-and-white woodcut print, the music itself becomes even more mind blown. The clock-ticking arrangements behind ‘Warp and Weft’ that Sjöblom does, adds fuel to the fire with his insane guitar work out that nearly has an ‘80s Crimson approach from the Belew-era, before the vocals go into this Octopus-era from Gentle Giant going from one corner to another.
That’s how brilliant the Train get their sound flowing and pumping to the core. The spirit of Longdon flows well with each of the members from the band, knowing he’s watching them and being very proud of them to keep the fires burning brighter than ever. The lukewarm acoustic-crisp with mellotron pastoral ascend to the mountains behind ‘Chimaera’ makes it a joyful sing-along to keep the energy juice going.
True to their word, the voices come jumping out at one time for the ‘Dreams in Black and White’ to appear like rain drops landing on the ground before this mighty guitar solo that starts off very bluesy goes into this Floydian mountain sky as it delves deeper and darker into the cavernous cave as it segues into the chase sequence on ‘Cut and Run’.
This is where they channel the prog pop orientations right to the bone, but adding in that groovy kick. You can imagine the group are writing this piece of music as an alternate score to Fleischer animated short from 1936 called Play Safe, Bugs Bunny’s Falling Hare, or the Tom & Jerry shorts with its crossover sound of Gentle Giant and Supertramp like one fast speeding bullet coming at you, 900 miles per hour, but with intense heat to come out of the industrial factories with swirling synths, mellotrons, incredible drum patterns, and blaring guitars.
But its ‘Albion Press’ that sparks the ignition with its Oldfield-sque intro between the Electric Piano and Mellotron to get the vibes pumped up for the revved-up guitars and drums, setting up the danger that’s waiting across the street. But it’s the engines that roar off into the night with its blaring sax, dooming organ, thumped-up bass, wah-wah guitar pedals, you can feel the vision of Hendrix flowing into view.
When we think of ‘Hawthorn White’, we think of immediately the mournful passing of a loved one who has left the real world and into the afterlife with its piano concerto before segueing into the acoustic lullaby ‘Counting Stars’ reflecting the memories which have been good and knowing they will be watching over us and being our guiding light until we meet them again.
That said, Big Big Train’s Woodcut is a movie inside your head, building up the momentarily, being free from all of the chaos that surrounds the artist, and not knowing where the road will lay ahead for him. The light at the end of the tunnel is long and winding, but it can be compelling and challenging to start a new beginning to move forward and not look back.
