THE LIKES OF US

Fantastic and experienced Bournemouth-founded prog rock band Big Big Train rise above the adversity of losing a core band member, perhaps even a member that could be considered the face of the band, during their most successful period both critically and commercially. This is how important and impactful David Longdon was for the musical collective he fronted for more than a decade, leading his band through nine great albums. His passing as well as some lineup changes seem to have stirred up the Big Big Train camp, as it has not remained unnoticed how many of the members that defined this Longdon-led lineup also left the band in recent years, for various reasons perhaps. Which leads to a situation in which ex-Spock's Beard frontman Nick D'Virgilio becomes the member with the second-oldest tenure with ...Train, after founding member and bassist Greg Spawton.

In such an unusual situation, many bands would likely tear apart or cease to write, record, or perform music, while Big Big Train have been able to reform in the most interesting way possible. With a "regenerated" lineup, extremely international currently, the band presents its latest release titled "The Likes of Us", the first album of original material after Longdon's passing, but also the first formal introduction of their incredible new vocalist Alberto Bravin, formerly of Premiata Forneria Marconi, well-known Italian prog band from the 70s. Alongside him, new keyboard player Oskar Holldorf, a compatriot of Rikard Sjöblom makes his official album debut as well.

Musically this new release is quite gorgeous! Big Big Train seem to be as inspired as always in making musical adventures a reality, with their incredible ability of constructing great albums, very melodic and very balanced, delivering enough pastoral and dreamy soundscapes as well as a sufficient number of tasty and proggy moments, simply creating an album full of everything that makes this band special, yet the music sounds uplifting and vigorous, in a way reminding me of their last two albums, as this one seemingly picks off where they last left but this time their work gives off a more cerebral impression, more grandiose and inspired.

Whether it be the lovely opening track, nearly all-instrumental with a tint of Genesis, or the powerhouse 'Oblivion', a song that is a contender for one of their liveliest tracks alongside 'Alive'. Their 17-minute epic 'Beneath the Masts' is a beautiful celebration of modern progressive rock, with the new vocalist fitting in more than perfectly in the larger-than-life musical soundscapes producing by his six other bandmates. Surely the soothing and stable tones of his voice have been a decisive factor upon his selection as BBT's new frontman. 'Skates On' is a more acoustic track on here, once again exquisitely melodic, while 'Miramare' is another strong entry on 'The Likes of Us', with some cinematic instrumental passages and once again brilliant singing. The rest of the album brings out different sides of the band, always remaining true to their goal of presenting the current 'state of affairs' of the band's music.

The album is truly great, not a single unintriguing second of it, very well-produced and assembled, presenting a bit of everything that one might (or might not) expect from Big Big Train, who despite the swooping events within their band's universe, have risen above and have once again reaffirmed themselves as one of the most consistent and important names of modern progressive rock. New vocalist impresses all throughout with his exceptional performance, the music is as good as always, the songs are great, and this album could for some be a surprisingly good discography entry, but nevertheless very important for the band.