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Harmonic Lizard
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Tinyfish in the latest edition of the Classic Rock magazine have received a 9/10 from Geoff Barton. This is the first time a prog rock band has managed to achieve this.
This is my own review of the album.
It’s one thing for a band to produce a well received debut album,trying to follow it up though is a far greater challenge.
The second album traditionally is a band’s opportunity to expand their original fan base, and infiltrate the mainstream.
Have Tinyfish managed to achieve this with “The Big Red Spark” in one word “Yes” and i will explain why I consider this album to be one of the best and most important releases in the progressive genre this year.
The album has been three years in the making and one can understand why whilst listening to the first track “Loose Ends” it sets the scene for what becomes an incredible journey of epic proportions,it is a chilling statement of intent which brings about the dramatic thunderous opener of “Rainland”.
Jim Sanders guitar dominates the soundscape sounding heavier and more urgent than he has ever done before,Simon Godfrey`s vocals are superb on this track and you can almost hear the urgency in which he wants to tell you the story,Paul Worwood`s thunderous bass lines complete the picture of this song which is something that will stay in the canvas of your mind long after it has finished.
Rob Ramsay narrates as brilliantly as ever on “A Million Differences” this track which unites both the spoken word and music together very tightly and creates the atmosphere and story which is crucial to this albums success.
“Bad Weather Road” starts superbly well with some excellent bass and rhythmic drumming before telling another part of the story,there are so many different elements to this song and the way they have combined all the different parts together it is difficult to hear the song the same way twice,complex and completely compelling.
One of the best songs of the album “I`m not crashing” takes us onto another part of the progressive journey through the very strange but compelling world of Tinyfish and the mind of Simon Godfrey. Jim sanders guitar yet again tells a story all of its own on here with some superb playing throughout.The vocals and lyrics on this track are yet again masterful with a very clear message to the progressive rock music community,doubt us at your peril.
Another spoken word piece greets us with the track “Building The Machine” and continues with some of the best narration Rob Ramsay has produced so far,another part of the puzzle told with his usual superb precision and warmth.
Ian Houston narrates the next track “Refugee” and continues to tell another part of the story in which he mentions “The whole world is building this thing,and they don`t have a clue”, the track is one part chilling and one part haunting essential to the tapestry of the album.
The title track “The Big Red Spark” combines all the best elements of the Tinyfish sound into an easy digestable 4.51 minutes worth of modern progressive greatness.Suberb musicianship and songwriting combine to provide the link and key to the heart of the album.
We have a semi-acoustic workout with a superb unexpected grungy riff underpinning the soundscape of “Weak Machine” ,which is followed by some more superb narration on “Activation” by Peter Godfrey.
The two tracks “The Final Act” and “The Loose Ends PtII” both give you a chance to contemplate what you have been listening to and act as a sort of reprise for the album as a whole before you are treated to the album `s closing track.
So finally we have “Wide Awake At Midnight” a ten minute epic which finishes the album off in some considerable style. It represents all that is good about Tinyfish and is superbly produced. It is very melodic and accessible and represents a band at their height of songwriting prowess.
Tinyfish have produced a concept album of epic proportions here ,to say I was stunned after listening to it for the first time is probably the understatement of the year so far.
It is a masterclass in modern progressive rock, and an essential purchase without question.
95/100
The version i have also contains a superb DVD Documentary on the band and has four additional bonus audio tracks as well.
Reviewed By Todders for Harmonic Lizard.
This is my own review of the album.
It’s one thing for a band to produce a well received debut album,trying to follow it up though is a far greater challenge.
The second album traditionally is a band’s opportunity to expand their original fan base, and infiltrate the mainstream.
Have Tinyfish managed to achieve this with “The Big Red Spark” in one word “Yes” and i will explain why I consider this album to be one of the best and most important releases in the progressive genre this year.
The album has been three years in the making and one can understand why whilst listening to the first track “Loose Ends” it sets the scene for what becomes an incredible journey of epic proportions,it is a chilling statement of intent which brings about the dramatic thunderous opener of “Rainland”.
Jim Sanders guitar dominates the soundscape sounding heavier and more urgent than he has ever done before,Simon Godfrey`s vocals are superb on this track and you can almost hear the urgency in which he wants to tell you the story,Paul Worwood`s thunderous bass lines complete the picture of this song which is something that will stay in the canvas of your mind long after it has finished.
Rob Ramsay narrates as brilliantly as ever on “A Million Differences” this track which unites both the spoken word and music together very tightly and creates the atmosphere and story which is crucial to this albums success.
“Bad Weather Road” starts superbly well with some excellent bass and rhythmic drumming before telling another part of the story,there are so many different elements to this song and the way they have combined all the different parts together it is difficult to hear the song the same way twice,complex and completely compelling.
One of the best songs of the album “I`m not crashing” takes us onto another part of the progressive journey through the very strange but compelling world of Tinyfish and the mind of Simon Godfrey. Jim sanders guitar yet again tells a story all of its own on here with some superb playing throughout.The vocals and lyrics on this track are yet again masterful with a very clear message to the progressive rock music community,doubt us at your peril.
Another spoken word piece greets us with the track “Building The Machine” and continues with some of the best narration Rob Ramsay has produced so far,another part of the puzzle told with his usual superb precision and warmth.
Ian Houston narrates the next track “Refugee” and continues to tell another part of the story in which he mentions “The whole world is building this thing,and they don`t have a clue”, the track is one part chilling and one part haunting essential to the tapestry of the album.
The title track “The Big Red Spark” combines all the best elements of the Tinyfish sound into an easy digestable 4.51 minutes worth of modern progressive greatness.Suberb musicianship and songwriting combine to provide the link and key to the heart of the album.
We have a semi-acoustic workout with a superb unexpected grungy riff underpinning the soundscape of “Weak Machine” ,which is followed by some more superb narration on “Activation” by Peter Godfrey.
The two tracks “The Final Act” and “The Loose Ends PtII” both give you a chance to contemplate what you have been listening to and act as a sort of reprise for the album as a whole before you are treated to the album `s closing track.
So finally we have “Wide Awake At Midnight” a ten minute epic which finishes the album off in some considerable style. It represents all that is good about Tinyfish and is superbly produced. It is very melodic and accessible and represents a band at their height of songwriting prowess.
Tinyfish have produced a concept album of epic proportions here ,to say I was stunned after listening to it for the first time is probably the understatement of the year so far.
It is a masterclass in modern progressive rock, and an essential purchase without question.
95/100
The version i have also contains a superb DVD Documentary on the band and has four additional bonus audio tracks as well.
Reviewed By Todders for Harmonic Lizard.
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