Great Eastern, The

On this, their third album, the Delgados' ambitions are clearly high. Having brought in Dave Fridmann, best known for his production work for Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips, the band succeeds in combining disparate elements like folk influences and forceful string parts. Furthermore, THE GREAT EASTERN's expansive and imaginative arrangements seem to underline the fact that Fridmann has helped the band make an album representative of their lofty visions.
Album opener "The Past That Suits You Best" has at least three vastly different sections, "Witness" employs similar dynamics, and the seven-minute long "No Danger" incorporates a gradual crescendo of sounds, starting quietly, and eventually ending in a pile of menacing tremolo. In other words, THE GREAT EASTERN is a musically dense affair, equally moving and impressive with its swooping cellos, clarinets, vibraphones and dulcimers. THE GREAT EASTERN provides the opportunity for this unusual and often-overlooked band to find a bigger audience.|