Artist : Big Big Train

Album : Common Ground

Release Date : 30-07-2021

Added : 17-09-2021

The summer period has not been very prolific in progressive rock album releases but this has allowed me to listen and re-listen several times to the latest 'Big Big Train' which has now been out for more than a month and to appreciate again this new offering from the English who, after 'Big Tour' of 2019 which didn't give me as much pleasure as the previous albums (tastes and colors...) and the very nice live 'Empire (Live)' of 2020, offer us an hour of modern progressive rock and that we appropriate little by little as we listen to it with this time guests who join the basic quartet to flesh out the whole.

First, with 'The Strangest Time', the catchy atmosphere reminds me of those of Elton John' with this freshness of a melodic pop/rock, the progressive side arriving in the second part with beautiful variations of the theme, then, complete change of scenery with 'All the Love we can Give' which develops different musical themes more researched and which is a multi-faceted track that you have to listen several times to penetrate all the nooks and crannies. Then comes 'Black with Ink' which starts with a more classic rock melody that takes us back to the 80's but after 3 minutes takes a progressive direction with a long and more elaborated instrumental part that leaves a good place for remarkable guitar and keyboards interventions to come back in the last two minutes to a short section that brings us back to the starting theme to finally conclude with a new inventive instrumental part with a very nice symphonic finale. The two following tracks, shorter, offer us, first of all, the song 'Dandelion Clock', between ballad and mid-tempo, with a beautiful melody and magnificent vocal harmonies then the instrumental 'Headwaters' bringing a restful and peaceful moment with the accompaniment of the piano. With 'Apollo', all the artists bring their stone to the building of this instrumental in which remarkable accompaniments of flute, violin, brass, keyboards, and guitar follow one after the other and which develops a long memorable epic final which would have deserved a true end rather than a fade out. More accessible, the eponymous track of the album develops a peaceful atmosphere with a catchy melody, then, the masterpiece of the album 'Atlantic Cable' points the tip of its nose and embarks us for a progressive saga of more than 15 minutes which makes us go through all kinds of emotions and which deploys a creative and imaginative progressive with multi-drawers that we open with happiness one after the other, and the album ends in a nice way with the quiet 'Endnotes', in a cosy atmosphere on a slow tempo in light crescendo that rocks us to the rhythm of harmonious melodic lines. By the way, I didn't tell you about the theme of the album and I'll end with what it says on their webpage of the English : " Recorded during the worldwide pandemic in 2020, Common Ground sees the band continue their tradition of dramatic narratives but also tackles issues much closer to home, such as the Covid lockdowns, the separation of loved ones, the passage of time, deaths of people close to the band and the hope that springs from a new love."

In summary, 'Big Big Train' still come out in very nice album that mixes progressive rock and symphonic and confirms that the English is now an essential formation in this style which should still delight a good number of fans and lovers of progressive...

Line Up / Musicians

David Longdon (Vocal, Flute), Greg Spawton (Bass), Rikard Sjöblom (Guitar, Keybords, Voice), Nick D’Virgilio (Drums, Vocal) + Guests : Carly Bryant (Vocal, Guitar, Keybords), Clare Lindley (Vocal, Violin), Dave Foster (Guitar), Aidan O'Rourke (Violin), Five Piece Brass Ensemble