At Silent Radio, our editorial approach is usually the opposite of the traditional algorithm. Instead of suggesting that if you like a particular artist you will also enjoy something broadly similar, we say just because you are fond of a particular type of music there is no reason why you should not be smitten by a diametrically opposed sound. However, like any open-minded policy, there is always space for an exception to the rule. Listening to Pippa Blundell’s debut album, ‘common thread’, it would be hard to deny that her voice, especially its tone and warmth, has more than a passing resemblance to that of Anna B Savage, an artist this website has championed persistently. Though the record even shares a title word in common with Savage’s debut, ‘A Common Turn’, it is far from a carbon copy and has its own distinct character. While still highly personal, the lyrics are far more elliptical and at times the arrangements recall This Is The Kit’s complexity.
‘common thread’ reflects on the highs and lows of a long-distance relationship. Written on flights between Glasgow and Marseille but mainly in the back of a small converted 90s Citroen van travelling across France, it consists of Blundell’s early morning countryside reflections on connection with surroundings and environments. The CD is accompanied by a lyric zine which adds to its homespun intimacy.
The aeroplane gets referenced on the compelling opening track ‘say’, a song that tussles with conflicting emotions while its arrangement is notable for Ross Taylor’s trickling piano lines and the light dexterity of Alex Palmer’s drumming. Starting with fingerpicking guitar, ‘patience for the people’ has great economy to its descriptive scene-setting lyrics (“cat hair on the cushion / sneezing in the kitchen… staining on the carpet”), longing in Blundell’s voice, rolling piano and lovely, lilting, jazzy chords.
‘lay in my land’ has strummed guitar, rippling piano and cymbal work that conjure a watery atmosphere. Its words capture an interconnected intimacy (“you are me and I am you”) as well as the pain of that connection (“wash the blood from your mouth now / purge your body of pain.”) Throughout the opening tracks, Norman Villeroux’s upright bass has given the songs distinctive punctuation and here he gets a brief solo. While ‘crave’ has more of a pop feel to James Mackay’s guitar and a rhythmic shuffle, the lyrical structure is distinctive: its first verse repeating the word fever at the beginning of each line, while the second starts with sleeper, sweat and memory to convey its sense of physicality.
The drums on ‘wasted’ manage the trick of being deep and heavy yet quiet. Blundell’s words come across in a hushed rush, a delivery different to what has gone before. There is a grappling with identity and how she should be reflected in the lines “tryna be the person I was tryna be” and the concluding “walking to the man, to the woman, to the girl, to the land, to the person I wanted to be.” The stripped back ‘will to take’ consists of just Mackay on guitar accompanying Blundell and sees her failing to summon the will to answer her vibrating mobile phone as distance grows in mind and metaphysical senses. It is achingly sad. Doing exactly what it says in the title, ‘instrumental with james’ is a gently autumnal intermission.
Throwing in an impressive curveball, Taylor’s harmonium dominates ‘doing good’ giving it an ominous mood that matches a tale of a lover falling back into addiction while promising “I’ll sail you to safety / as much as you’ll hate me for it.” The title track marks a return for the full five-piece band and the song has an impressive flow to its twists, devotion in its “I can’t give you up” mantra and piano exuding optimism as it accompanies the line “good morning sunshine.” The album ends with ‘love her’, a tender portrait of aging, including in its runout a voice sample from Jane Blundell, presumably Pippa’s mother, grandmother or perhaps elder sibling, offering wise counsel on the perils of comparing ourselves unfavourably to others, being dazzled by them rather than realising our own achievements warrant celebration.
It marks a philosophical conclusion to a remarkable album. While ‘common thread’ might initially gain attention due to its similarities to others, it has its own unique charm. The songs grow with each listen, the band play with a rare subtlety and Blundell’s voice is magnificent. This album should not just appeal to Anna B Savage fans; it should appeal to anyone with an interest in quietly thoughtful yet emotional music.
Pippa Blundell: common thread – Out 6 June 2025 (Bridge the Gap)
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
