Big Big Train
Woodcut
Classic Rock 80点相当
Mojo 80点相当
Being an active prog band for more than 30 years and not bringing out a concept album is a remarkable display of restraint! While Big Big Train can now tick this particular achievement off their list, of course, their entire back catalogue is filled with story songs, themes, and concepts that mean it’s a very natural place to arrive at – and what a journey. Most of you reading this don’t need the band history lesson, but I think it is worth saying that this is an album that has arrived organically at this stage of the band’s development. The seven-piece line-up, which toured Europe and the US over the last few years, is settled and bonded into a cohesive unit. You only need to look at the credits list to appreciate the breadth of musical, instrumental, and vocal skill contained within one unit that consists of people from six countries – Woodcut truly reflects that breadth of expertise and experience perhaps better than any previous album!
Let me summarize the narrative of the album: the main character is The Artist, who is struggling with his art and his life. One day, he produces a very beautiful piece of art – the woodcut -, and he gets drawn into the world he has created. Is it real or imagined? Has he lost the plot or found the answer? This is what the album explores, and it does so in a way that the narrative is present but not overpowering. It’s there to dig into if you want to take the journey (thanks to the extensive sleeve notes and forthcoming “making of” book), and if you don’t, well, it’s a fantastic set of songs that you can appreciate outside of that world! I’ll not name any names, but not all concept albums achieve that equilibrium, and can either be cast aside as incomprehensible, or the narrative enslaves the listener to the extent that the music doesn’t work outside of the structure. Neither of those is the case here!
英国生まれの多国籍プログレッシヴ・ロック・バンド、ビッグ・ビッグ・トレイン、約1年11ヵ月ぶり、通算16作目のスタジオ・アルバム『Woodcut』（ウッドカット）
Big Big Train
English Electric: Full Power
