Big Big Train - The Difference Machine

A much harder-edged album and a more challenging listening experience than any of their previous work, drawing influences from Van Der Graaf Generator, The Mars Volta and Sigur Ros, The Difference Machine is a concept album – a ‘small’ story; the loss of loved ones as life progresses, set against a ‘big’ story; the death of a distant star. Other musical motifs abound, some buried deeply in the music, some combining with others to form new themes. Amongst the epic long-form tracks, there are some short ambient pieces, intended to add atmosphere to the album. Breathing Space is exactly that, a short interlude between two longer pieces, and From The Wide Open Sea is an excerpt from the track The Wide Open Sea, which was eventually released on the Far Skies Deep Time EP.