Republic of Letters

It’s Easy to Like “The Likes Of Us”

BigBigTrain_TheLikesOfUs (1)

There are a select few artists that Spirit of Cecilia will always love and greet with joy any new release. One of them is Big Big Train, who have just released a new album, The Likes Of Us. Big Big Fanboys Brad Birzer and Tad Wert discuss this latest chapter in their long and varied career, and what it means for BBT’s future.

Tad: Brad, my fellow Progling and good friend, it’s always big news when Big Big Train graces us with new music. I have you to thank for making me aware of this wonderful group of musicians. It was when The Underfall Yard had just been released, and we were connecting via social media. You insisted I check them out. I had never heard of BBT, and it was an ear-opening experience to explore all of their music. I fell in love with The Difference Machine along with The Underfall Yard, and the rest is history.

As I became familiar with their career, I soon learned that The Underfall Yard was the first album to feature vocalist David Longden. He, along with founding member Greg Spawton, went on to produce some of the finest albums of the 2010’s: English Electric, Folklore, Grimspound, Grand Tour, Common Ground. And then tragically, David Longden passed away. I was afraid this was the end for BBT as we knew them. 

However, they found a new vocalist, Alberto Bravin, and have recorded a new album! Brad, I’m really interested in hearing your first impressions of this iteration of BBT. Is it a worthy successor to previous ones?

Brad: Dear Tad, thank you so much for this, and my apologies (as usual) for being late in replying.  Things have been chaotic (good and bad chaos, it turns out–one so quickly and readily becomes the other) in the Birzer household.  Let’s just say, I’m not unhappy to see February 2024 in the rear-view mirror, and that all ills (flu and otherwise) have found happy resolutions!

As I type this on my laptop, I sit beneath an original Jim Trainer painting from The Underfall Yard that proudly adorns my college office.  Below it is an award I won over twenty years ago, and above it is an original photo of Geronimo.  Next to it is a signed and framed autograph from Neil Peart.

I first encountered The Underfall Yard fifteen years ago.  Our very own Carl Olson sent me a mix of his favorite tracks of 2009, and a song from the TUY album was included.  To say I was floored would be the understatement of my adult life.  I immediately ordered the full album, and I was completely blown away by its brilliance, its creativity, and its unique voice.  As to the latter, there’s nothing quite like a classic BBT sound–a perfect mixture of exhilaration and melancholy.  I also immediately emailed Greg Spawton, who kindly responded. For years, we had a fairly serious correspondence.  We even sent each other books we each loved.  I cherish those emails and that friendship.

From there, I closely followed the band, and, as I’ve noted elsewhere, we founded Progarchy originally as a BBT fansite.  Years later, you and I collected our various essays on the band and e-published Dream of the West through Amazon.  That little e-book did very well, I’m proud to say, and I’m deeply honored that our names will always be linked together, Tad.  I also had the chance to praise them at National Review, at The Imaginative Conservative, and elsewhere.

This is all a very long way of stating that I’ve followed the band as closely as possible for a decade and a half.  I’ve cheered with and for them, and, with the immense loss of David Longdon, I’ve mourned with and for them.

They’ve been a part of my life as much as anything else (except for family) over the past fifteen years.

This past weekend, BBT played its very first show in the United States.  It was in Fort Wayne, Indiana–just a 1.5 hour drive for me–but I was, crazily, already committed to leading a seminar/conference in Philadelphia, a commitment I made.

Big Big Train | Trieste, May 2023 | ph Massimo Goina
Big Big Train | Trieste, May 2023 | ph Massimo Goina

Ok, Birzer, shut up and tell us about the new album!!!

To be sure, BBT has had a rough couple of years, and many folks have wondered if the band could recover after the tragic loss of vocalist David Longdon.  Additionally, many of the essential bandmates–such as David Gregory–had left the band for a variety of reasons.

The Likes of Us proves that BBT is more than the sum of its parts, an idea and concept as much as a concrete band.  Whereas the band was once incredibly and quirkily English, it is now quite cosmopolitan and, well, trans-Atlantic.  I write this last bit with only the slightest bit of irony, as the new album has, in part, a Neal Morse/Spock’s Beard feel to it.

Tad: Brad, as always, I appreciate the context you provide for your love of BBT. I think you have hit the nail on the head with your preceding paragraph: Big Big Train is an idea and concept now, much like King Crimson and Yes are. The personnel may change, but there is definitely a constant thread through all of their albums that makes each one a uniquely “BBT” work. 

As I write this, I am listening to “Beneath the Masts”, Greg Spawton’s ode to the radio masts that dominated the landscape of his childhood. As long as Greg is involved, BBT will always be BBT. He truly has been the anchor of the band, regardless of who sings or plays guitar. 

I am intrigued with your reference to Neal Morse/Spock’s Beard. I love their music as well, but it has always been more, hmm… turbulent, than BBT’s in my opinion. BBT’s music has, until this album, always struck me as being pastoral. Kind of like Vaughan Williams’ music is in the classical realm. I could see BBT performing “The Lark Ascending”, but never Spock’s Beard, if that makes sense!

Okay, let’s talk about The Likes Of Us! I love the opening chords of the first song, “Light Left In The Day” – the acoustic guitars are reminiscent of Steve Hackett-era Genesis. It soon develops into quite a majestic production, and, now that you’ve mentioned it, I really hear that Morse influence in it. Another favorite moment is the seamless segue into “Oblivion”, which is a terrific rocker. According to my Spotify app, I’m not alone in really liking this track – it far and away has the most listens. I think it’s a great choice for the single, because the melody is so appealing. Bravin’s vocals are superb here, and despite my initial impulse to compare him unfavorably to Longdon, I think he does a fantastic job leading the band. He’s a wonderful choice to replace an irreplaceable artist, and I am excited for BBT’s future.

“Beneath the Masts” is the big epic, clocking in at 17:26. I have to admit that after several listens, this one hasn’t resonated as deeply with me as previous long-form BBT songs have. It’s very pretty, and there is nothing to not love, but for some reason it’s just not sticking in my memory. However, I do especially like the bit at around the 15:00 minute mark where, after a relatively quiet section, the whole band comes in again and Bravin lets loose with some very good vocals. 

“Skates On” reminds me the most of “classic Big Big Train”. It’s just a delightful little tune with wonderful vocal harmonies. The lyrics celebrate going out and having some fun: “Enjoy the Ride/It’s time to get your skates on/We’re here then gone”. I think the more I listen to the album, the more I enjoy this track.

Alright, I’ve written enough – what are your thoughts on the new songs?

Brad: What a wonderful and thoughtful response, Tad.  Thank you.  Whenever I get a new album–especially if you and I decide to review it–I immerse myself into it fully, allowing it to wash over me multiple times before writing about it.  For whatever reason, I had a really hard time getting into The Likes of Us the first few times I listened to it.  I definitely heard a Spock’s Beard influence (the new singer sounds VERY much like Nick D’Virgilio), but my initial thoughts were that the band–now labeled as an “international progressive rock collective” had lost its distinctive English voice and that the band was producing someone one might call “generic prog.”

As I’ve continued to listen to the album, though, I think I was very wrong in my initial assessment.  The band has definitely lost its distinctive English voice, but it has also adopted a new one and one that is truly international.  And, frankly, it’s quite beautiful in its own, new way.  The band really has become something more than it was.

And, you’re right, of course, Tad.  The center of the band–from its beginning–has always been Greg Spawton.  He’s the touchstone and fountainhead of all things BBT.  With his bass, his songwriting, and his voice, he will always define BBT whatever other members are there.  I’m so glad you reminded all of us of that.

This said, I’m now utterly taken with the first three tracks of The Likes of Us: “Light Left in the Day” (a pastoral gem for the first few minutes), “Oblivion” (a NVD rocker), and the magisterial “Beneath the Masts” (what BBT does best–long-form prog).  Like you, Tad, I love the segue between tracks one and two, and I also agree that “Beneath the Masts,”  while excellent, does not quite live up to “Broken English,” “The Wide Open Sea,” or “The Underfall Yard.”  Still, it’s close, and, frankly, it’s a privilege to hear such prog beauty, especially when it comes from Spawton’s pen.

As you note, “Skates On” is simply a delight, something that might have appeared on Grimspound or The Second Brightest Star.

Tad:  Brad, I’m glad you have had a slight reassessment of the album, and it looks like you and I are in agreement that the first “side” (if albums can have “sides” these days) is really nice. As far as the final four tracks go, “Miramare” is the standout song for me. The vocal harmonies are wonderful, and the guitar solo is very tasteful.

In the press release that came with the album, the band remarks that this is the first time in a long time that the members recorded the songs together in the same room: In May 2023, six members of Big Big Train left their homes in England (Spawton and Lindley), the United States (D’Virgilio), Sweden (Sjöblom) and Norway (Holldorff) to gather for a week in Bravin’s home town of Trieste in north eastern Italy, at Urban Recording, a studio recommended by Alberto, to lay down the basic tracks. Being face to face in a room, as opposed to emailing sound files, the intimacy of the process generated moments of inspiration that would otherwise have gone unheard.

 The process would prove emotional. “There were some tears; I cried a few of my own,” recalls Nick D’Virgillio, the band’s drummer since 2009. “There are many reasons to explain why we hadn’t worked that way in quite a while, but the process brought out the best in everybody.”

I’m glad that they took the time and trouble to work in person – that bodes well for future music. I always think songs are improved when musicians can bounce ideas off each other in real time.

Well, I think that is a good place to wrap this one up, Brad. I’m going to say that The Likes of Us will probably be thought of as a transitional album when put in the context of their long career; they have successfully incorporated a new vocalist/songwriter into the fold, while maintaining ties to their past. It will be interesting to see what they produce in the years to come!

Republic of Letters

My Favorite Drinks for Health and Pleasure

By Richard K. Munro

Of course, my favorite drink and the drink I drink EVERYDAY would have to be Adam’s Ale or good old H20 (water) often with some ice but not always. I think it very healthful to drink water with meals.

After drinking water I drink some coffee with milk every morning. In the winter I make a pot of Earl Grey with some lemon juice and Splenda and fill up a thermos and then sip all afternoon. Sometimes I add honey. In the summer I add ice and make a pitcher of iced tea. So if I were to add it up the drinks I habitually drink and like are in this order: WATER, TEA, COFFEE, MILK. I like fruit juices and drink them occasionally but they have too much sugar and too many calories so I substitute a vitamin C power in water each morning. I will drink a Coca Cola if on the road but rarely drink that anymore. Generally I avoid sugarly softdrinks.

I am not and never have been a a teetotaler however. But I am aware very aware of the dangers and temptation of “demon rum”. There is an old Spanish saying : If you ever know a man who tries to dr own his sorrows, kindly inform him his sorrows know how to swim. Drinking is one one to forget but it takes a toll on the mind and body. If one only drinks in moderation and occasionally one enjoys them more.

I just drink alcoholic beverages in moderation occasionally. In the summer I enjoy a cold glass of Spanish sherry now and then.

Of course, I enjoy a glass of cold beer now and then as well.

I am not too particular about my beer but enjoy draught beer.

I enjoy whisky also from time to time. If there is nothing else available I will have a bourbon whiskey or a rye whiskey but I never keep any of that stuff in my house. But my preferred hard drink is a nice Scotch blend or for special occasions a nice single-malt.

I like Irish whisky also and will have it from time to time. I really don’t like other hard drinks (tequila, vodka, rum, gin) and probably will go 10 or 15 years without drinking those drinks. In 2016 someone bought me a Bloody Mary and to be hospitable I took it. I liked it but haven’t had one since. It is 2024 and I haven’t had a Scotch since New Year’s Eve! If I am out I will have a Manhattan cocktail (made with  whiskey sweet vermouth and bitters). If I can I would prefer a Rob Roy but in my experience a Manhattan is usually a more avialble cocktail. I never make fancy cocktails at home though sometimes I will make a hot toddy or a lemonade punch spiked with whisky.

I enjoy wine and usually we drink Spanish, Italian, Portuguese , Chilean, Californian or German wine.

In my youth I used to like pitchers of Sangria but rarely have it now. We all must drink both for our health and enjoyment. But drink clean water (I have a filter at home) and boil it if you must. This is why the British soldier of old drank tea. It was a safe and satisfying drink. That’s the way I feel about it today. I enjoy a coffee but find it can make my stomach upset. Tea always seems tasteful and salubrious to me so next to water it is my favorite drink.

Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite drink?
View all responses
Republic of Letters

Haunted by No-Man’s Schoolyard Ghosts

Schoolyard Ghosts

Greetings, Spirit of Cecilia music lovers! In this post, Brad Birzer and Tad Wert revisit a classic No-Man album, Schoolyard Ghosts, from 2008.

Tad: Brad, I’m so glad you suggested we discuss this album. I picked it up when it first came out. I had just discovered Steven Wilson’s Porcupine Tree, and I was snapping up anything I could find that he was involved in. No-Man is certainly different from Porcupine Tree, but Wilson and Tim Bowness make beautiful music in their own way.

As I listened to this album once again, I was struck by how calming it is (with the exception of that raucous opening to “Pigeon Drummer”). For me, “Truenorth” is the standout track. When I first got Schoolyard Ghosts, I didn’t take the time to appreciate how great a song it is. It slowly unfolds for nearly 13 minutes, but it never lags. Tim’s vocals are so hushed and warm, while Steven’s acoustic guitar accompaniment is perfect.

Brad: Tad, thanks so much for such a brilliant opening to this dialogue.  I think you nailed it all very perceptively.   And, I’m with you on all of this.  

The best way to describe the music is, as you so aptly put it, “hushed and warm.”  Delicate and lush also come to mind as descriptives as well, though delicate might be taken as derogatory by some readers.  I certainly mean it in only the most positive sense.

This was my first No-man album, and, at the time it came out, I was buying basically everything that the label Kscope was producing.  I had already been a Steven Wilson fan–since 2002–but I’d not delved into No-man for some reason.  Porcupine Tree, yes.  Blackfield, yes.  But, bewilderingly, not No-man.  This, of course, all changed with Schoolyard Ghosts.

Indeed, Schoolyard Ghosts rather blew me away in 2008, and it continues to do so over a decade and a half later.  I never grow tired of this album.  I love the lilt of the instruments, Bowness’s plaintively gorgeous vocals, and the fine production of the music.  I also love the vocal harmonies that Bowness and Wilson create.

I can state now, in 2024, that I’m as much a fan of Tim Bowness as I am of Steven Wilson–which is saying a lot for anyone who knows me.

Since 2008, I’ve pretty much devoured everything that Bowness has written and released.  I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s our generation’s Mark Hollis.  He was definitely influenced by Hollis and Talk Talk.  One can hear it in his phrasing and in his lyrics.  It’s clear that Bowness is in love with words as much as he is with music.  

Bowness also reminds me very much of our own Kevin McCormick.  What an incredible team they would make.

Tad: Yes, Brad, the ghost of Mark Hollis is definitely present here! I find it interesting that Schoolyard Ghosts was your first introduction to No-Man. Mine was 1994’s Flowermouth, which was the only No-Man title available at my local used record store. It’s very poppy – almost like Pet Shop Boys – and as I completed my No-Man collection, it became clear that every album had its own unique identity. Initially, I was disappointed that Bowness and Wilson didn’t sound more like Porcupine Tree, but why should they? Wilson has always been a lover of many different genres, and No-Man was a completely different entity for him than PT. As a matter of fact, No-Man was more popular, sales-wise, than PT, which, at the time, was more of a side project.

Okay! Back to the topic at hand. I’ve been listening to the 5.1 surround mix of Schoolyard Ghosts, and it is really good. There are no obvious “whooshes” from front speakers to back and left to right, but rather various sounds pop up and fade away behind me, like the static that closes out “All Sweet Things”, the steel guitar in “Song of the Surf”, or some gentle beeps in “Streaming”. The percussion in the middle section of “Truenorth” has enhanced echo, which is nice.

Speaking of “Truenorth”, I have to say again that this is a near-perfect song! The 12:48 album version puts the single version to shame. I love the “Sweet surrender to the night” section that closes it out – it brings the song to such a melodically satisfying conclusion. 

The only – literally – jarring song on the album for me is “Pigeon Drummer”. In the right context, I can appreciate raucous dissonance, but “Pigeon Drummer” feels out of place on this album. Based on Wilson’s and Bowness’s delightful podcast, The Album Years, I know they both love avant-garde music and musique concrete. However, I think that song messes with the overall flow of the album. Tell me why I’m wrong, Brad!

Brad:  Tad, I’m really impressed that you go all the way back to 1994’s Flowermouth.  Do you remember how you came to it?  I’d love to read that story.

I don’t want to make too much of the Talk Talk connection, but I really feel that “Pigeon Drummer” is No-man’s take on “Desire” from Spirit of Eden.  In that context, to me at least, the song makes perfect sense as a necessary break in an otherwise very delicate and haunting flow.  It’s intentionally jarring, thus making the rest of the album even more beautiful.  In fact, one of the many things I love about this album is the intensity of the overall flow.

I’m in complete agreement with you regarding “Truenorth.”  It is a stunning piece of music, perhaps perfect, even.  It builds so well.  I must admit, it reminds me of an updated Traffic tune.  Not as jazzy as Traffic, of course, but still in a Steve Winwood/Dave Mason vein.  And, I love the lyrics:

You survived another winter
You survived where nothing grew

The days felt cold and never changing
So you just slept the whole way through

When you think about the future
It’s like the past, but hard and small

An old idea you stole from someone
A borrowed dream that’s born to fall

Take a taxi through the snow
Tell them you love them –
Don’t let go

Through the tunnel moving slow
Tonight’s there’s nowhere
You won’t go

You survived yourself
You survived inside the lost world
The dreams of love

And, to be sure, I really love the lyrics to the opening track, “All Sweet Things”:

The run-down streets, the civil wars
You don’t go there anymore –
It’s how you used to live

The trampled hopes, the made-up laws
The itchy feet, the pub quiz bores –
It’s so hard to forgive

Weekend slimmers count their chains
Still wanting someone else to blame
You watch them come and go

Empty nightclub escapades
They tell you more than words can say –
That open doors get closed

The empty rooms, the empty house
Someday soon, you’ll work it out –
Still finding the way back home

The schoolyard ghosts, the playtime fears
You take your pills, they disappear –
The people that you’ve known

I’m curious who wrote these, Bowness or Wilson.  Either way, they’re fantastic.

Tad: Brad, Flowermouth was my introduction to No-Man, because it was the only No-Man album I could find at the record store, and I couldn’t wait for it to be delivered from an online dealer! 

Thank you for sharing the lyrics to “Truenorth” and “All Sweet Things”. I think Bowness must have written the ones to “Truenorth” at least, because there is a sweetness (for lack of a better word) to them that I can’t see Wilson pulling off. His lyrics are usually much darker, which is why he might have had a  hand in “All Sweet Things”. 

“All Sweet Things” is my second-favorite song on Schoolyard Ghosts. It’s a nice opening track, because it sets the mood for the entire album. It has a beautiful melody which slowly unfolds. The mostly acoustic instrumentation is very warm (there’s that adjective again!) and inviting. 

I’ll concede your point in defending “Pigeon Drummer”. Without the tension it adds to the overall mix, the album would probably suffer from a sameness in style and atmosphere. You can’t appreciate calm beauty without a little harshness to get through!

Brad: Tad, thanks for such a great dialogue.  I was really happy to revisit Schoolyard Ghosts, and it’s always excellent “talking” music with you.  As you’ve pointed out here and elsewhere, modern music simply would not be where it is without Bowness and Wilson.  Each have contributed so much–as creative talents and as analysts.  The current issue of PROG magazine has an excellent article on early No-man.  As Wilson notes, the two would rather talk Spirit of Eden than hit the club scene.  Amen.

Tad: Amen, indeed!

Republic of Letters

Pyrrhus, He of the Pyrrhic Victory and Alexander the Great and his legend

quotes and commentaries gathered by

RICHARD K. MUNRO

Famed Greek general Pyrrhus of Epirus gave birth to the immortal phrase “pyrrhic victory.” 

The Alexander Mosaic, also known as the Battle of Issus Mosaic, is a Roman floor mosaic originally from the House of the Faun in Pompeii.
MAGNA GRAECIA
Campaigns of Pyrrhus

After the battle of Asculum (279BC) Plutarch relates in a report by Dionysius :

The armies separated; and, it is said, Pyrrhus replied to one that gave him joy of his victory that one other such victory would utterly undo him. For he had lost a great part of the forces he brought with him, and almost all his particular friends and principal commanders; there were no others there to make recruits, and he found the confederates in Italy backward. On the other hand, as from a fountain continually flowing out of the city, the Roman camp was quickly and plentifully filled up with fresh men, not at all abating in courage for the loss they sustained, but even from their very anger gaining new force and resolution to go on with the war.

— Plutarch, Life of Pyrrhus

Pyrrhus was a mercenary general and mercenaries fight only for money and glory. My grandfather used to say ” a soldier will die for the
colours but not for an extra two bob a day.” The Romans of old had deep civic virtue and patriotism and that unity and courage were tough nuts to crack. It makes one think of the Russians 1941-1945 and the Ukrainians in our day (2022-2024). If the Ukrainians get the aid and weapons they need I think they will be unconquerable and eventually the Russians will tire of their bloody Pyrrhic victories. They may tire of
Putin himself.
Pyrrhus of Epirus  Πύρρος (Pýrrhos;)c 319/318–272 BC)
A marble bust of Pyrrhus from the Villa of the Papyri at the Roman site of Herculaneum, now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, Italy It is quite possible that Julius Caesar himself gazed upon this very portrait as the Villa of the Papyri belonged to a close relative.

“…on the eve of battle [Alexander the Great] appeared in a dream to Pyrrhus, boldest of Greek generals, and when Pyrrhus asked what help a ghost could promise, ‘I lend you,’ he answered, ‘my name.’ True to the story, it was the name which retained a living fascination for two thousand years. It attracted the youthful Pompey, who aspired to it even in his dress; it was toyed with by the young Augustus, and it was used against the emperor Trajan; among poets, Petrarch attacked it, Shakespeare saw through it; Christians resented it, pagans maintained it, but to a Victorian bishop it seemed the most admirable name in the world. Grandeur could not resist it; Louis XIV, when young, danced as Alexander in ballet; Michelangelo laid out the square on Rome’s Capitol in the design of Alexander’s shield; Napoleon kept Alexander’s history as bedside reading, though it is only a legend that he dressed every morning before a painting of Alexander’s grandest victory. As a name, it had the spell of youth and glory: it was Julius Caesar who once looked up from a history of Alexander, thought for a while and then burst into tears ‘because Alexander had died at the age of thirty-two, king of so many peoples, and he himself had not yet achieved any brilliant success.’”

FROM Alexander the Great by Robin Lane Fox (1973)

( a wonderful book I read this when I was at NYU and there have been other biographies since but this remains one of the best and is of the highest literary quality).

Republic of Letters

My favorite Candy

by Richard K. Munro

“Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.” said Ogden Nash.

As a kid I loved Baby Ruth bars and Snickers. Now I find them too sweet. But I still love chocolate. 

\My favorite is probably Swiss chocolate but I enjoy good old Hersey’s with Almonds. The reality is I rarely eat candy today. The closest I get to it is hot chocolate in the winter or a glass of chocolate ovaltine. But if I am on the road and need a snack I probably will get a Snickers bar to tide me over!

Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite candy?
View all responses
Republic of Letters

We Really Like The Bardic Depths’ “What We Really Like In Stories”!

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Bardic Depths Stories

In this post, Kevin McCormick and Tad Wert discuss The Bardic Depths’ new album, What We Really Like In Stories. It is the third album from them, and it features songwriting by Dave Bandana and Gareth Cole, with lyrics by Bradley Birzer.

Tad: Kevin, it’s great to be reviewing this album with you! I know you and Brad go way back in your friendship – did you ever imagine he would someday be the lyricist for a British progressive rock group?

Kevin: Thanks Tad–great to be writing it with you as well.  It was definitely a surprise when Brad first mentioned he was writing lyrics for a rock recording—we had a good laugh! But in retrospect it seems a natural step. We shared a love of the early prog music from the start of our friendship and he writes constantly, albeit in a more academic setting than rock lyrics. So it’s not as much of a stretch as you might think. One of his favorite aspects of Tolkien’s and Chesterton’s writings are their poems. And he’s a huge fan of T.S. Eliot. But I think his collaboration with Dave on the Bardic Depths albums is a great fit and I’ve enjoyed watching the development of the concepts and sounds over the years. You know, the first album started out as just a friendly experiment. Dave had some music he had written and asked Brad for a lyric to put with it.

Tad: Kevin, I always enjoy learning the “behind the scenes” details of albums, so thanks for sharing those. 


Okay! Let’s talk about What We Really Like In Stories. As I mentioned, this is the third album from The Bardic Depths, and I think they just improve with every release. I really, really like this one. First, I think these are the best lyrics Brad has written yet. Every song is a tribute to an author, and taken as a collection they illustrate Brad’s love for various genres, primarily fantasy and science fiction. The title track refers to C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, who are responsible for two of the most popular fantasy series of the twentieth century: The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, respectively. Birzer imagines them discussing their literary aims over a drink and a smoke in the local pub:

Could we write fiction
That might combine these things:
A love of history; a desire to debate the defenders of the modern world
Promote one’s philosophical and religious thoughts
Could a modern writer create art but not be over blatant?  

“You’ve Written Poetry My Boy” is about Ray Bradbury (The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Illustrated Man, among many others), and refers to some praise that Aldous Huxley gave him. “Vendetta” is dedicated to Alan Moore, who put together the graphic novel, V for Vendetta. “Old Delights” is a delightful little song in honor of midwestern American author Willa Cather, while “The Feast Is Over” recognizes the genius of pulp writer Robert E. Howard (Conan the Barbarian stories). “Stillpoint” pays tribute to Walter M. Miller (A Canticle for Leibowitz), and the last track is about British fantasist Robert Rankin. 

In other words, this is a very literate collection of songs, and they celebrate some of the greatest bards of modern times. I was an avid reader of Bradbury, Lewis, Tolkien, Howard, and Miller when I was in high school, so it is a joy to see them properly honored by The Bardic Depths. I’m not familiar with Rankin’s work, but I am certainly going to check him out now.

Kevin: Without a doubt this new album is a real step forward for the band.  Everything from the songwriting, to the instrumental performances, to the production is excellent. You can see the maturation process as the band really seems to blend and complement one another so well. The vocal harmonies are tight and solid. The lead lines are powerful and expressive and carry the songs into new spaces.

I think my favorite track at the moment is “You’ve Written Poetry My Boy.” It opens with a beautiful arpeggiating twelve-string guitar evoking memories of early Genesis. But it is soon joined by an equally-beautiful soprano sax (if this is a keyboard patch it’s an extremely natural sound). The unlikely pairing dance around each other’s lines and set up the entrance to the tune proper.  Again there are hints of Genesis here, but the band seems to have found a sound of their own.  And I love the variety in the instrumentation–string pads, piano, organ, and I think I hear some harpsichord in there. And then mid-song there is a shift to a minor section which briefly darkens the mood and serves as a platform for a sax solo, only to pass through back to the main theme. Shifts like this can be clunky sometimes in prog bands, but TBD avoid this pitfall by carefully crafting the transition compositionally.

Overall I must say that I hear hints and suggestions of so many great prog bands throughout this album. Those hints position the album in a space that sits well with other classic recordings yet still retains its own voice. Moments of the Floyd and Supertramp peak out here and there, and there’s a bluesy hard rock sensibility in the final track, “Whispers In Space,” and some even some techno in Stillpoint. Some of the vocal work has shades of Big Big Train. But again, there is a TBD color in the sound that holds everything together as a part of the larger work.

Tad: Kevin, I knew you had excellent taste – “You’ve Written Poetry My Boy” is my favorite track as well! And that is Peter Jones on clarinet and alto sax. I too hear glimmers of classic Genesis (the Steve Hackett years) in this song, and I find that very appealing. There’s no wonder they chose this track to be the first single.

I also want to give a shoutout to Gareth Cole’s guitar work throughout the album – it is truly stellar. His solos in Vendetta are spectacular – driving, melodic, and pure. His slide guitar in “The Feast Is Over” is terrific!

To wrap things up, I think we can agree that What We Really Like In Stories is a big leap forward for a group that improves upon excellence. They seem to have really gelled as a unit – Dave Bandana, Gareth Cole, and Brad Birzer are at the top of their form as far as songwriting goes, and Peter Jones’ vocal and instrumental contributions are wonderful. I also like Dave’s vocals on “The Feast Is Over” – he’s got an “everyman” sound that is quite inviting. 

Before we close, I’d like to mention how interesting Kevin Thompson’s artwork is. The style is somewhat primitive and whimsical, which complements the songs perfectly. Stylistically, it reminds me of the cover art for the Beach Boys’ Smile album. Thompson’s painting is of a cozy room with a fire blazing away, and piles of books on a table. The authors are the ones featured in the songs, and there are needlepoint hanging that spell out the “The Bardic Depths” and “What We Really Like In Stories”. I’m intrigued by the clock on the mantel: the numbers aren’t the standard 1 through 12! Instead, they run 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37.

What We Really Like In Stories is a contender for album of the year in my book. The subject matter of the songs is thought-provoking while remaining playful, while the musicianship is first-rate. This is one album I’ll be enjoying for years to come.

Here’s the video for “You’ve Written Poetry My Boy”:

Music, Books, Poetry, Film