FAR SKIES DEEP TIME

Stretching from the generic spectrum of Crossover Prog with songs like "Master of Time", to the beautifully cohesive epic of "The Wide Open Sea", Far Skies Deep Time comes off as a mixed bag in both power and consistency.

"Fat Billy Shouts Mine"," Brambling", and "The Wide Open Sea" are the real high points of Big Big Train's most recent EP release, giving the album a majority of quality Crossover..

"Fat Billy Shouts Mine" reveals an abundance of Big Big Train's sound: providing symphonic mellotron layers, a great keyboard-led bridge, then wrapped together with some rock passages. "Brambling" is a song the revises The Difference Machine's sound. Having some similarities to Yes, they achieve a fluid song with some expert drums driving the song. The mellotron takes it's place in this song too, this time accommodating Longdon with his really great vocals. They match the band so well, a reflection of their musical direction. "The Wide Open Sea" is the 17 minute epic that really makes this album wonderful. Big Big Train takes you with them on their journey of a man's connection with the ocean that stands before him. The song has a building tension that breaks into the band's ethereal state of mind or becomes nimble, creating an eclectic anatomy for this beautiful creature.

Master of Time and British Racing Green are the remaining songs, exerting predictability and never really rewarding the listener. "Master of Time" comes of a bit cliche, but doesn't have terrible execution. "British Racing Green" is painfully stagnant, never changing the song's theme, constantly being a painfully barren song. Though, while both are the definite weak points, and never do the rest of the album justice, i can imagine them having some praise from others.

Far Skies Deep Time is a definite step down from the masterpieces of The Difference Machine and The Underfall Yard, but is a good output from the band.

3.5/5 Stars.

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