Best Songs From Big Big Train's Folklore
Folklore is the ninth studio album by the English progressive rock band Big Big Train. Released on 27 May 2016, it was recorded at English Electric Studios, produced by Big Big Train, and mixed and mastered at Aubitt Studios by Rob Aubrey. It is the first studio album to feature Rachel Hall and then- Beardfish lead vocalist Rikard Sjöblom as official members.Today I will only consider the general release of this album, and not the two bonus tracks available on vinyl.
I labelled this one of the best albums of the decade, and for good reason. It's beautiful, draws great inspiration from folk, and shows the true musicianship of each and every member. So why don't we take a look at the tunes that make this album so magnificent?
London Plane is brilliantly executed in its craft. The first few minutes are slow, yet emotionally strong. However, the instrumental break is what really brings this song up, as it's adventurous and varies greatly in instrumental sound. That's not to say it only resonates in the instrumental sections, as instrumental and emotional variability are heard throughout the entire song.
A very literal anthem of folk. It tells the tales of how the tales are told. Although not as varied in sound as London Plane it is still flaunts musical creativity and versatility. Also, epic guitar solo.
The opening part may have you thinking "Wait...BBT isn't classical! " But it really picks up and shows itself to be a great example of the group's storytelling ability on an emotional level.
This song is likely the heaviest one on the album, and I'm quite disappointed it wasn't enlisted after Folklore. This song just feels like a great follow up to said tune. Plus I just love the lyrics to this song. They just have so much to them.
Being the longest song, it's also arguably the most instrumentally complex. The story of a racer at Brooklands is a wonderful and thoughtful tale to behold, and BBT truly puts in so much to make it lively.
Whoever would've assumed a song about a pigeon would be so adventurous? There's a lot more going on in this tune than others, and the transition from event to event just goes by so well.
A more emotional tune, and everything just works so well in this song. I love the idea of this coming right before Salisbury Giant since its closure contains the exact lyrics repeated in its successor.
Ooh, some hard hitting violin here, nice. I love the harmony in this song, it really ties everything together. Plus, even though it's only 3 minutes it doesn't need to be much longer since the idea is simpler than the rest of the album.
A much more cheerful tune, and while the instrumental composition is beautiful, it's honestly a bit too cheery for me to enjoy as much as the others. I do still appreciate it for what it is, and I still think it's a pretty good song.