Now Spinning Music Magazine - Artist Interviews and Music Reviews · Phil Aston

Gregory Spawton Interview on Big Big Train, Woodcut: Concept, Loss, and Renewal

·39 min·3 clips

This album is the first full-length conceptual album and represents a confident step forward to a new era

Phil Aston opens by framing *Woodcut* as a major moment for Big Big Train. He points to the album as the band's first full-length concept record, the second to feature Alberto Bravin as vocalist and producer, and a release with a companion book that asks listeners to spend time with the music rather than leave it on in the background. Gregory Sporton joins the conversation. Phil asks when the idea stopped being a few songs and turned into something with the weight of a full concept, and Gregory says the title helped it click almost immediately. The title matters. That opening sets the tone for a discussion about intention, patience, and the sense that this album is meant to be lived with. The band also talks about studio collaboration. Gregory describes how the record was not simply lifted from prepared demos, because a lot of the work happened in the studio itself and one song was rewritten from scratch. They are not a jam band. Instead, he says they write songs first and then come together to play them properly, while still leaving space for studio ideas to change the shape of the music. That flexibility clearly matters. He treats it as the best of both worlds, with the security of songwriting and the surprise of finding new parts while everyone is in the same room. The room matters here. Gregory explains that, since David died and the band chose to continue, they have made a point of never recording remotely, even though that is harder because the members live in different countries. It is deliberate. For Big Big Train, recording together is part of the band's identity, and Gregory links that choice to the spirit of 1970s bands making records face to face. Phil notes how common remote file-swapping has become and how refreshing it is to hear a group still committing to the older, more physical way of making an album. The conversation stays close to process. By the end, the episode feels like a careful look at how *Woodcut* was conceived, reshaped, and made into a record meant for proper listening.

As heard by us

A focused making-of conversation that treats Woodcut as a major step for Big Big Train.

Gregory treats Woodcut as a big step for Big Big Train: the first full-length conceptual album, the second release with Alberto Bravin, and a project tied to a companion book that asks for slower listening.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want a close-up on Woodcut's making and meaning, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Now Spinning Music Magazine - Artist Interviews and Music Reviews