Label: English Electric Recordings
Release date: July 30, 2021
Production: Big Big Train
Album length: 62.08 min
Genre: Progressive Rock / Crossover Prog
Rating: 9.0/10
“Common Ground” is the thirteenth studio album from British prog rock heavyweights Big Big Train, who went through dramatic changes the year after its predecessor “Grand Tour” (2019) came out. The band, which can fairly be called the most popular and most respected contemporary British prog rock outfit going, quite unexpectedly said goodbye to founding keyboardist Danny Manners, longtime guitarist Dave Gregory and violinist Rachel Hall. They were replaced by Carly Bryant, Dave Foster and Clare Lindley, who for now remain ‘just’ guest musicians, but who nonetheless play very important roles on “Common Ground”.
For some bands, losing three musicians who had been key contributors to the whole sound for years would be a heavy blow, but for Big Big Train this kind of shake-up actually seemed to do some good while making “Common Ground”, bringing a small but important refresh to their sonic approach. When the still excellent “Grand Tour” came out, some fair criticism had already surfaced: that their sound formula was getting too predictable, and that the last three or four albums were quite similar to one another in style and sound. It somehow felt like the beloved band, which puts out new studio albums fairly often, could no longer really surprise anyone with something new.
The four remaining Big Big Train members clearly listened to that criticism and took a welcome step away from the predictable sonic template on “Common Ground”. The album has noticeably fewer pastoral and symphonic arrangements, but in return offers more vocal and stylistic variety. This time the charismatic singer David Longdon, who sounds a lot less like Peter Gabriel than usual, gets more help on vocals than before from American drum ace Nick D’Virgilio and versatile Swedish keyboardist/guitarist Rikard Sjöblom, while Bryant and Lindley diligently add extra female vocal harmonies on some of the “Common Ground” tracks.
Proof that Big Big Train went for some completely new songwriting adventures this time is the opener “Strangest Times”, which, despite its gloomy, exhausting lyrics about the covid crisis, turns out to be an unexpectedly cheerful and upbeat number. The song, which isn’t bad at all when it comes to the structure of the symphonic arrangements and the main melody, is closer to pop rock than symphonic prog, and with it Big Big Train managed to pull off quite a stylistic surprise. The somewhat pale, nondescript chorus, despite David’s excellent singing, unfortunately doesn’t leave a particularly deep impression. With different lyrics this would be a perfectly likeable art rock tune, since most normal people are fed up to here with everything covid-related.
Even stranger, but in a good way, is the next track, “All The Love We Can Give”, where David sings several octaves lower than he usually does. His baritone contrasts sharply with the lovely backing vocal harmonies and bright ambient shades. D’Virgilio surely had a hand in writing it, since it sounds a lot like some of the material from his solo album “Invisible” (2020). Nick is also very active as a singer here, stepping up to the mic several times. This interesting song packs in plenty of eclectic time changes and complex instrumental sections in which many will recognize the influence of Nick’s and Rikard’s past bands, Spock’s Beard and Beardfish.
“Black With Ink” is defined above all by a wonderful male-female vocal duet between David and Carly, while all the vocal ‘helpers’ get a chance to show off their chops, delivering fantastic harmonies and a proper symphonic prog drama. With this track “Common Ground” really comes alive and convinces us that, after two opening experiments with mixed results, this band is still at the top of the modern prog scene in terms of songwriting, atmosphere and performance.
Even though, going by the nationality of its members, Big Big Train are now only half an English band, some of the compositions still carry an unmistakably English stamp, where besides the Genesis influences you can also feel touches of the Canterbury scene and British folk rock. One such example, sounding more like the ‘classic’, melancholic and pastoral Big Big Train, is “Dandelion Clock”, a song drenched in huge nostalgia, epic string arrangements and magical vocal harmonies, which could have appeared on any of the band’s albums between 2009 and 2019, in other words since David and Nick joined the ranks.
“Headwaters” is a short, piano-led instrumental that feels like a romantic lullaby. An attentive listener will soon notice that the second half of “Common Ground” is clearly more interesting and successful than the first. “Apollo” is a symphonic prog treat with slight jazz and folk touches and one of the highlights of “Common Ground”. Stylistically it would have fit perfectly on the previous album, “Grand Tour”. This instrumental masterpiece is bursting with lavish orchestral arrangements, wild keyboard solos and daredevil drumming, while an epic, ceremonial mood prevails throughout. It will surely thrill all the longtime fans, who will appreciate that it’s the most ‘typical’ Big Big Train piece among some fairly ‘atypical’ compositions.
The title track is also made in the recognizable Big Big Train style, with plenty of symphonic-pastoral elements, stately string arrangements and rich vocal harmonies, and this time they manage to come up with a really good chorus.
That’s followed by the 15-minute super-epic “Atlantic Cable”, the most ambitious piece on “Common Ground” and also the one that finally convinces Big Big Train fans that, despite the ‘slow’ start, the band has pulled off another great album. It brings together all the songwriting, arranging and lyrical genius of all four members, while David sings the whole thing with an outstanding feel for melodrama. Individual instrumental sections within this splendid epic rank right at the top of modern prog in quality, playfulness and sheer fun, which even the most demanding ‘prog nerds’ will have to admit.
The melancholic, nostalgic “Endnotes” is a closer built on romantic string arrangements in the recognizable Big Big Train style, with David once again sounding a bit like a modern-day Peter Gabriel, one of the few moments on the album where that comes through. A sudden, brilliantly executed burst from the brass section adds a hefty dose of nostalgia to the final stretch.
The release of every new Big Big Train album is a holiday for prog rock gourmets, and “Common Ground” is no exception, with the always ambitious band stepping away somewhat from its tried-and-tested and by now slightly predictable sound formula. “Common Ground” won’t make the top five of their studio discography so far, that’s for sure, but it already ranks among the prog rock highlights of 2021 and is a bold step away from their usual ‘sonic comfort zone’. Now that both Nick and Rikard are in the band, who along with the always in-great-form David can be called the driving forces of the group, it’s almost impossible to imagine Big Big Train failing.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. The Strangest Times (5:08)
2. All the Love We Can Give (8:06)
3. Black with Ink (7:24)
4. Dandelion Clock (4:14)
5. Headwaters (2:27)
6. Apollo (7:50)
7. Common Ground (4:54)
8. Atlantic Cable (15:06)
9. Endnotes (6:59)
Lineup:
David Longdon – vocals
Gregory Spawton – bass guitar
Rikard Sjöblom – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Nick D’Virgilio – drums, vocals
Guest musicians:
Carly Bryant – keyboards, backing vocals
Dave Foster – guitar
Clare Lindley / violin, backing vocals
Aidan O’Rourke – violin
Five Piece Brass Ensemble
