Tinyfish - The Big Red Spark

Year of Release: 2010
Label: Festival Music
Catalog Number: 201008
Format: CD
Total Time: 53:27:00

So, as I try to get familiar with the bands playing at, in this case, RoSFest, I try to listen to some of their catalog. Often those CDs then get stuck (figuratively) in the rotation. As was the case with Tinyfish's The Big Red Spark.

First, you have to know that the more I listen to the CD, the more I delve into the lyrics -- some sung, some spoken word (see below for who did what) -- the more I like it, and I started out liking it from the get-go. This Spark sparkles. But, I'm a fan of concept albums when there's a story that captures one's interest and imagination. It may be because I love to read SF, too, as the story here is. The concept in brief concerns the titular "Big Red Spark" a machine that will ... well do something monumental... I wouldn't give away a book's ending, why should I do that to a concept album?

Tinyfish bill themselves as "the world's smallest Progressive Rock Band," but the sound here is quite big. Not EPIC in that overwrought, "look how fancy we are" kind of way. But in that, "we have a grand story to tell and no 3-minute, 3-chord ditty is going to tell it." There are big, soaring and searing guitars, delicate and classically inspired keyboard parts; shimmering percussion and rumbling drums; throbbing bass; and a sense of urgent importance. But it's also full of melody and comfortably attractive vocals. There may be coldness to the story, but Simon Godfrey has a warm voice. "Whatever's going on, it will be alright," it seems to say. And each piece draws you in to hear the next, some are catchy, the choruses will stay with you long after the CD ends, not the least being the title track.

It may sound like faint praise or a backhanded compliment, but Tinyfish are a typical UK prog band. And now let me explain, because it's not either of those things. See, it's a basic rock construct (guitar, drums, bass, vocals, keys) with a "rock 'n' roll" starting point, expanded upon in interesting and arty ways. Well, ahem, that'd be progressive rock, right? Well, as that term applies to Yes, ELP, Tull and all sorts of bands, just saying "progressive rock" is as descriptive, I suppose, as saying "bread." Well, rye, wheat, or sourdough? Yes get the qualifier "symphonic prog," ... Tull were a folkier sort of prog... None of those apply here. It's the sort of prog rock that, if you didn't tell the "anti-prog types" that it's prog, they may not notice that and get all excited over Tinyfish as they do Radiohead, Muse, whomever. See, I think it's all in the label not the music itself. "Eew, progressive rock?" the "a-p-t" says. But, don't tell him (or her) and it might just be instead, "Ooer, that's cool!"

It's all quite appealing, whether it is rocking hard ("Rainland"), or crunchy/slinky (the darker, bass-led "Bad Weather Road"), or getting into a mid-tempo groove ("The Big Red Spark," which also falls into the epic category) or sharing a classical movement ("A Million Differences," "Building The Machine" - which also feels a bit Fellini-esque with a rising/falling carnival like arrangement). While it's the description we can apply to IQ, Pendragon, and Marillion (Hogarth era), Tinyfish do not sound like any of those bands. Ok, there's are some guitar solo bits, such as on "A Million Differences," and "Wide Awake At Midnight," that are from the Gilmour/Rothery school, and Jim Sanders does have that same sort of expressive style of playing.

Although it seems "lazy" to say "they sound like..." and then throw out a bunch of names, hoping that you are familiar with them. I shall throw out Kino, Frost*, Porcupine Tree. It's the modern age of prog that isn't full of parpy and widdly solos - though there are solos; in fact, you'll find an especially searing one on "Bad Weather Road" which also contains a pretty cool bass effect, that the notes on the website explain "our bass player Paul [Worwood] patched his bass through the filter section of a Moog synth which created a bubbling noise that gently rose up out of the note right after he played it." It's all in the fine details. And, maybe Frost* isn't so far off; Simon Godfrey's younger bro is Jem Godfrey (drums were recorded at John Mitchell's studio, too). And, by the way, there's nothing wrong with parpy and widdly solos...

Anyway, this is my typical, overly wordy way of saying there's nothing extraneous or overblown or whatever about Tinyfish. There are broad strokes, there are short strokes and each is appropriate to the piece of music. The album opens when that "something" is about to happen, and closes when the signature moment arrives. In between, we get the threads that led to that moment, following the story of the machine's creator and other characters which play a role. There is a part to the story that made me think of 1984 ("Refugee"). But that's only a fragment; you'd maybe find something this impactful in a Star Trek film or Doctor Who episode. The fate of not just the world but the universe hangs in the balance. Oh, perhaps I've said too much. Let's just add you can find some obvious parallels or ... references to much bigger things. There's a lot here that will have you make your own connections to other things you've seen, read, experienced.

Going back to "Building The Machine," in addition to the classical and carnival elements, there is, at the beginning an industrial, mechanical feel. And all this comes together - in a cheerful manner - while Rob Ramsay delivers a particularly sinister monologue.

There's probably more to be said about this CD... I'm sure I'm going to find I should have mentioned, this or that... and I've not even touched on the bonus DVD with this edition, so a word or three or more about that: It contains a further x tracks; audio only. One is a churning rocker, "The Sarcasm Never Stops;" there's the gentle, acoustic ballad "Ride" (with guests Geoff Wootton on vocals, who also has a fine voice, and Mike Varty, of Landmarq and Credo, on keyboards; there's also a fine electric guitar solo from Sanders); a dark, moody and brooding "Eat The Ashes;" there's a raw, live, intimate feel to it; recorded and mixed by Jem Godfrey, as was "Let's Get Invisible," a gentle, lyrical, languid piece. And, in the lone video portion, there's an interview with the band, where the band talk about the writing and recording of the album.

While it will not affect your enjoyment of the CD, I found the text of the lyric book hard to read -- pale grey text on a black background -- but more than that, in keeping with the concept, the text is printed backwards, a mirror image. The lyrics aren't printed here, so there's not a lot of text to work out; you'll find a lot of great stuff at the band's website; behind the songs notes and the lyrics/text.

Tracklisting:
The Loose Ends (3:11) / Rainland (6:54) / A Million Differences (2:05) / Bad Weather Road (6:20) / I'm Not Crashing (4:36) / Building The Machine (3:16) / Refugee (2:24) / The Big Red Spark (4:51) / Weak Machine (3:28) / Activation (0:38) / The Final Act (2:36) / The Loose Ends Pt II (2:42) / Wide Awake At Midnight (10:21)

Bonus DVD: The Sarcasm Never Stops (5:17) / Ride (5:26) / Eat The Ashes (3:19) / Let's Get Invisible (4:02) / Interview (25:54) (Total time: 43:58)

Musicians:
Simon Godfrey - vocals, rhythm guitars, drums
Jim Sanders - lead guitar
Paul Worwood - bass guitar
Rob Ramsay - voice of the young Professor
Iain Houston - voice of the Refugee
Peter Godfrey - voice of the old Professor
Jem Godfrey - mellotron (9)
Geoff Wootton - lead vocals (DVD:2)
Mike Varty - keyboards (DVD:2)
The Big Red Strings:
Zhanna Neckrich - violin
Dina Zikeyeva - violin
Gocha Skhirladze - violin
Marianna Pulkis - viola
Felix Korobox - cello

Discography:
Tinyfish (2006)
Curious Things (2009)
The Big Red Spark (2010)

One Night On Fire (DVD) (2009)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin UK

Added: June 16th 2011
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.tinyfish.org
Hits: 3580
Language: english