When a passionate, talented artist finds another and things click, it's kismet. Over the last three years such good fortune has led songwriter Chris Dreyer and guitarist Scott Taylor to create some amazing music as the band Goodbye Picasso. The band's first album is The Book of Aylene (TBoA), which releases August 24.
TBoA tells the story about a musician who gets the girl, gets a great gig, and begins a downward spiral of drugs, relationships, until finally losing the gig altogether. Thankfully I was told this isn't autobiographical in nature, which is awesome. In an age of overly engineered albums, it's nice to find a concept album that is simply that: a concept seen through the arc of a series of tracks.
I'm positive there are many influences on the record, but as I listened I was reminded of artists from the 1970s, like Van Morrison and Simon & Garfunkel. Country influences aren't far behind either, especially in the last song, "The Devil, The Bottle, and Me." The hand of a storyteller was hard at work throughout this album, with a simplicity and honesty in words and melody that provide a deep landscape upon which to layer some sweet instrumentals.
Though I love the faster, more upbeat or bluesy tunes more than the ballads, the mixture meant styles changed across the album to reflect the tone of particular songs through the story arc. Everything from a rockin' blues tune to acoustic strings and almost a wild west sounding piano can be heard as the tales progress and the main character falls further down the rabbit hole.
My favorite song on the album is the nearly drunken blues of "I Don't Want Nothin'," with some riffs between saxophones and lead electric guitar that just sell the lyrics that much more. The musician is losing his girl, and he knows it: "Don’t call me superstitious when I catch you watching her / With your dirty little secrets of the places that you were / And you can play it cool / Or act the fool / It all looks well rehearsed / You’ve been talking me in circles, as if somehow I’ve not heard."
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Article comments
1 - Mike F
Fitz really captures the the spirit, roots and feel of this terrific album in his review. Don't Want Nothin' is also my favorite on the album and if there is still soul in the commercial music world, this song should be a hit. See Goodbye Picasso in person and you're in for a real treat. The musical chemistry between lead singer and lead guitar is something special!
2 - Aylene G.
Hi guys, great stuff. I'm an Aylene and, if you don't already have a real Aylene then I'll be your real Aylene and you can tell them in the junkits that I was the inspiration. If you do already have an Aylene, could you name your next album "The book of the other Aylene"? Thanks....