Issue 2017-031: Lonely Robot - The Big Dream - DPRP Inter-review

Lonely Robot - The Big Dream - Round Table Review

I sometimes ponder on the idea of how popular certain, modern-day prog performers would have been back in the era when progressive rock was much more commercially viable. Back in the day when prog related bands like Yes, ELP and Genesis were filling up stadiums, rather than small theatres and clubs. John Mitchell is one such artist that fits into this scenario for me. He is an extremely talented musician, songwriter and producer who has a gift for making adventurous music that is also commercially fetching. Be it in bands like It Bites and Frost or in his solo platform, Lonely Robot, John has created a solid discography, worthy of a huge audience.

The Big Dream is the second Lonely Robot album, coming two years after the debut release, Please Come Home. Again focusing on Mitchell's Astronaut character, the publicity states that it isn't a concept album. However in many ways, it does feel like one, mainly due to some continuing themes and its overall progressive rock feel. The album expertly melds a melodic pop-rock feel, with some very complex musical moments. A solo project in the truest sense, with John expertly handling all of the instrumentation minus the drums. His Frost bandmate, Craig Blundell expertly covers in that area. There are also some sublime moments where John is joined vocally by Bonita McKinney.

After the short Prologue (Deep Sleep), the album really kicks into gear with the excellent rocker, Awakenings. With a bit of a Steven Wilson feel, and containing one of the best guitar solos I have heard from Mitchell, this is a great start to the proceedings. Sigma is another driving rock song that is certainly deserving of radio play, and containing a chorus that you will be humming immediately. In Floral Green showcases his ability to write a spacious and sweeping ballad. In fact, some of the strongest moments on the album (The Divine Art of Being and Hello World Goodbye) fall into this category; the former sounding like a tribute of sorts to Phil Collins.

For the most part though, The Big Dream is a progressive "ROCK" release and it excels in its heavier moments. False Lights, Everglow, Symbolic and the instrumental title track (which is stunning) are all highlights. As great a multi-instrumentalist and singer that John is, he shines most brightly here as a guitarist. He is truly one of the best in the business, a fact that is proven brilliantly throughout this album.

I remember reading an interview that John gave before the release of Please Come Home, where he seemed unsure if people would be interested in Lonely Robot. The positive response to that album should have squashed any concerns that he had, and this follow up will certainly heighten the stature of his project even further.

The Big Dreamis an incredibly entertaining listen from beginning to end. In terms of writing and performing music that provides the listener with incredible musicianship, as well as infectious melodies and choruses, very few can match John Mitchell. This is my favourite release of 2017 thus far! John Mitchell, guitar hero and natural vocal master, known for his work with Arena, It Bites and Frost, is back with his second solo effort under the Lonely Robot moniker. Please Come Home from 2015 was a huge and immediate hit in the book of this particular little writer. It even managed to fill the void left by the inimitable It Bites who disappeared again in the wake of 2012's Map of the Past, an album chock-full of heartbreaking nostalgia, and a lot of its success was by courtesy of the 'new' frontman John Mitchell. With Lonely Robot, Mr. Mitchell updated his sound, arriving at a somewhat-timeless halfway between the (positively) dusty feel with It Bites and the modern, electronic flourishes of he keeps exploring with Frost.

Naturally, I was intrigued and excited at the prospect of a follow up to Please Come Home, curious as to whether John Mitchell would be able to pull-off another album studded with hits upon hits. To spare you the surprise: yes, he has done it! This is perhaps not as immediate as his first effort, as I only got hooked on it after the fifth spin or so, but by now it is safe to say that he has definitely succeeded in making his sophomore album equally brimming with quality.

Written, produced and performed entirely by the master himself, except the drum parts that are again expertly handled by none other than Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson Band, Frost*), The Big Dream is yet another testament to this man's seemingly endless talents.

After a short intro, the album starts with a string of four veritable single hits, right out of the songbook. Awakenings and Sigma provide a similar straight-forward feel, with heavy rocking verses and soaring chorus hook-lines. They are pretty much the blueprint of a perfect prog rock hit single, in the same way as God vs. Man from Please Come Home. Craig Blundell's energetic drumming provides the right, energetic energy and the guitar solo in Awakenings will put all the shredders of this world to shame once more. This man puts more feeling into each and every single note than many other guitarists in their entire life. His vocals are pure emotion as well, though somewhat more raw and unpolished, highlighted in the calmer tracks, like the pastoral and dreamy In Floral Green, which is reminiscent of John Mitchell's time with It Bites and their final opus Map of the Past.

Everglow (not to be confused with the Coldplay song of the same name) is another take on that hit single blueprint I mentioned earlier. But before anybody gets the impression the songwriting is getting dull or repetitive, I have to stress the fact that John Mitchell and his partner-in-crime Craig Blundell are clever enough not to fall into this trap. Every one of the songs that is built upon this pattern, has its own distinctive character, and there are a plethora of distinguishing ideas within that formula on display.

In the second half of The Big Dream, John Mitchell's love for (sci-fi) soundtracks and soundscapes is shining through more and more, as the song structures seem to dissolve, climaxing in the eight-minute instrumental title track. But that doesn't mean the quality is dissolving too, on the contrary. False Lights builds upon a groovy bass line, surging to a monumental riff. Spacy vocal effects are juxtaposed with Mitchell's naturally rough timbre in the two-part verse of Symbolic (not to be confused with the Death album of the same name).

The slow build-up of The Divine Art Of Being puts the spotlight on Mitchell's heartfelt vocals once more, before the soundscapes and instruments take to the fore in The Big Dream. And staying true to his reputation, even an eight minute instrumental from John Mitchell never gets wanky. Instead big arcs of melody build upon one another, permeated by a serene, transcendental feeling.

Closing the album in true Mitchell fashion, we are treated to a short, calm, vocal-driven song (Hello World Goodbye), with one last chance to indulge in his beautiful guitar sound before being released from The Big Dream by an epilogue of a lonely piano melody. This is a magnificent achievement of an album, and a heavy contender for album of the year in the prog rock section. I was immediately into this album. From the mysterious opening, to the equally quirky and catchy hooks of the tracks that followed, the best traits of today's progressive rock are embedded in the DNA of Lonely Robot's latest opus The Big Dream. Some music takes a while for me to get acquainted. The Big Dream greeted me like a long-lost friend, arms wide open, telling tales of where they've been and making plans for where they might yet go. In this warm embrace of the familiar, I found comfort in the trials and tribulations, as shared in their songs.

Frontman and multi-instrumentalist John Mitchell is rejoined by Craig Blundell (Frost, Steven Wilson) on drums. I'm very familiar with Mitchell's work in Frost (Falling Satellites is one of my favourites from 2016), and saw Craig Blundell perform with Steven Wilson; as well as enjoying his drumming on the first Lonely Robot album. Although not listed in the pre-release band credits, it appears Kim Seviour has returned to add stellar backing vocals on one of the bonus tracks.

The first Lonely Robot album is very enjoyable, but on a whole it's not music I will come back to very often. Any minor shortcomings on the first release are absent here. Both albums feature great sections of music, performances, lyrics, and singing. On The Big Dream the improvements are in the details. Other than the longer jams, during the mostly instrumental title track, the songwriting is concise. Every note feels etched with intent and clarity. The Big Dream leaves the impression that a lot of time and inspiration was expended on these songs.

Awakenings, Sigma, Everglow, and Symbolic are melodic monsters. Superb guitar solos, accomplished frantic drumming, polished bass playing, and exquisite keyboards demand instant inclusion to the pop-prog canon. The ethereal Floral Green is a masterful and understated track, standing out among the other excellent songs. Craig Blundell nails it on Sigma and False Lights, carrying entire sections with exceptional, energetic drumming. John Mitchell's Peter Gabriel-esque and often haunting vocals soar on The Divine Art of Being.

So that no prog listener feels short changed, the title track erupts into a delectable stylistic orgy of sci fi and classic rock fusion, wrapped in all the goodness of an unrestrained, modern progressive package.

Despite my involvement with a music review page, I would hardly call myself a wordsmith (or purist prog fan). Even though I knew everything I loved about each of these songs, the awareness of every note that moved me, and having spent nearly two solid weeks filling my ears with this music, it still took me three different attempts at writing this review, to find these scant "right words." Hearing is believing. And with that, this is the only perfect score I've given in my now-36 reviews for DPRP.