The Underfall Yard<\/i><\/a>, which featured co-founders Greg Spawton (guitars and keys) and Andy Poole (bass and production) plus David Longdon (vocals and flute), Dave Gregory (guitars) and D\u2019Virgilio (drums and background vocals), BBT has steadily expanded, picking up Danny Manners (keyboards), Rachel Hall (violin, viola, cello), and Sj\u00f6blom (guitars), with Spawton migrating to bass and Poole filling in where needed as a multi-instrumentalist. <\/p>\nThe push to expand has been driven by the group\u2019s desire to perform their complex compositions live; it simply can\u2019t be done with five, as their recent studio albums have featured a variety of guests and multi-tracking of guitars and keys. The decision to make the new players permanent members rather than simply live sidepersons, though, has inevitably fostered a further evolution of BBT\u2019s studio sound. <\/p>\n
The title track feels like the chief impetus behind this release, a potent anthem that ties abundant British legend around apples and apple trees all the way back to the Garden of Eden, and then forward through centuries of apple-centric celebrations of life and the harvest. Featuring especially strong work from the Spawton-D\u2019Virgilio rhythm section, Manners and Longdon, \u201cWassail\u201d progresses smartly through emotive verses into an emphatic chorus. In between lie a number of superb classic-prog style jams that offer each of the players a moment to shine.<\/p>\n
The latter reality seems to be the other chief rationale behind this release. The new eight-strong lineup inevitably pushes the band toward larger and more layered compositions that offer room for everyone to be heard. The resulting density of sound can grow thunderous at times; in this eight-player format, BBT is making genuinely orchestral prog, comprising as they do a veritable rock orchestra. <\/p>\n
The other two new tracks, both composed by Spawton, form a minor suite around the secret geography and communities of old London, an appreciation for the hidden nooks and crannies of British history being central to the BBT ethos. \u201cLost Rivers Of London\u201d resurrects in song the forgotten rivers that flow underneath the modern-day metropolis into the Thames. The plaintive core melody features some terrifically nimble fretwork from Gregory and Sj\u00f6blom, counter-pointed by Longdon\u2019s trilling flute. <\/p>\n
\u201cRivers\u201d eventually eases to a quiet end, segueing right into \u201cMudlarks,\u201d which opens focused on piano and organ, quickly picking up a complex guitar figure before Hall\u2019s violin and Longdon\u2019s flute enter, adding pathos. Manners (or is it Poole?) features on the refrain with a rather sing-songy synth figure, and you\u2019re soon reminded yet again that D\u2019Virgilio might be the finest prog drummer of his generation; he\u2019s simply superb throughout, constantly both propelling the song forward and adding tasteful flourishes. As for Spawton, the group\u2019s original guitarist\/keyboardist now ranks among my favorite prog bassists, holding down the bottom end with tremendous dexterity and drive. <\/p>\n
Between refrains of this mostly instrumental track there\u2019s plenty of musical activity, with a variety of little segues and jams featuring this entire remarkably skilled assemblage of players, punctuated by Gregory and Sj\u00f6blom trading lyrical, winding solos through the fifth minute. As in much of the most memorable prog, there are multiple restatements of the same basic melody line with the various players adding their individual flair to the mix.<\/p>\n
The fourth track here is a live-in-the-studio recording of The Underfall Yard<\/i>\u2019s \u201cMaster James of St. George\u201d that serves as a preview of both a forthcoming CD\/DVD package and the upcoming live shows. In its original studio form, \u201cMaster\u201d is one of the group\u2019s more slight tunes, but with an eight-strong rock orchestra behind it, it\u2019s transformed into something approaching an anthem, with all manner of subtle additions adding power and impact to the basic melody.<\/p>\n
A brief side note before we finish up; Big Big Train also sets the standard when it comes to presentation; this is one of the most beautifully packaged four-song EPs I\u2019ve ever seen. It\u2019s been given the same care and attention to detail as a full album, and the custom-commissioned artwork is both striking and appropriately wassail-themed.<\/p>\n
So: top-notch packaging, strong new music showcasing the group\u2019s new lineup, and a foretaste of the live shows they are about to unveil. Brief as it is, Wassail<\/i> accomplishes what any really good EP should\u2014it both impresses and leaves you wanting more. I can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":32460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[8052],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-44219","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-big-big-train","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=44219"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=44219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}