Big Big Train is based in Bournemouth, England and “The Difference Machine” is their fifth studio release, following the highly acclaimed “Gathering Speed” from 2004.

The band was around since early ‘90s, their first releases, “Goodbye to the Age of Steam”, dating from 1994.

Big Big Train had a tumultuous existence, going through various lineups. Some musicians have gone and then come back. Founding members Greg Spawton (guitars, keyboards and vocals) and Andy Poole (bass) are helped on this album by former Big Big Train bandmates Steve Hughes (drums) and Sean Filkins (vocals). The credits list includes also the likes of Becca King (viola) and Tony Wright (alto and tenor saxophone). The album features a few distinct guests on this album too. Pete Trewavas (Marillion – bass) and Dave Meros (Spock’s Beard - bass) appear on one song. Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard, Tears for Fears – drums) appears on two.

Musically, the album can be placed in the realm of neo progressive rock, although the artists cite a combination of progressive rock influences (Genesis, Van Der Graff Generator, King Crimson, PFM) but also alternative rock and post-rock (Sigur Ros, Oceansize, Mew). Having said that, this album is not your typical neo-prog mix of styles and influences where everyone can find something to like. It has a lot of personality, it is coherent and it has substance. Having played it for several times now, for some reasons, my mind was always taken to the emotions I felt when listening to Rain’s “Cerulean Blue”. It must have been the multiple dreamy moods created by Spawton and his melotron along Becca King’s viola. But unlike “Cerulean Sea”, this is just the canvas on which the rest of the band constructs the intricate sonic landscapes.

Take for example the intro for the album, the first track starts nicely with a suave dialog between viola and sax, a dialog that melts into some dramatic melotron tones. This is a short track that is followed by “Perfect Cosmic Storm”. This is a superb tune, perhaps the best of the album, clocking in at about 15 minutes. The music is clearly anchored by similarities with mid-70s Genesis, certainly emphasized by Spawton’s way of playing the keyboards (as if Tony Banks himself would guest here) and the omnipresent melotron (I haven’t heard this much melotron on one single album since Anglagard). Sean Filkins’ voice is a perfect match with the overall sound of the band. The third song is like an etude, a very short track entirely played on keyboard and guitar by Spawton. Next one is “Pickup if you’re there”, the track on which guests Trewavas and sure enough we are treated to a very interesting bass line that grows in complexity as the song progresses. It is towards the end of the tune, on a long passage, that we get to hear clearly the sophistication of his rhythm. To follow the pattern (short instrumental song, long complex song), the fifth song is another delicate track played solely by Spawton on keyboard and the sixth one, “Saltwater Falling on Uneven Ground” is the third tune that runs over 10 minutes. The album is closed by “Summer’s Lease”, a song where Becca King reviews some of the themes presented in the first song of the album.

This is clearly neo progressive rock, but it is not cheesy, as other such releases tend to be nowadays. “The Difference Machine” is classy, full of sophisticated musical ideas. It will give you a great deal of enjoyment.