Now the heart of this record is the music, but the soul of it is in the senses of sight and touch. It's really hard to achieve the same aesthetic in any other medium. I wanted to make the kind of record you put on your turntable, and then sit down and experience the package. It's that chance to fully express your imagination (both yours and mine). - Barry Brusseau
Portland Singer-Songwriter Barry Brusseau definitely accomplished his goal on his first solo release, A Night Goes Through, released earlier this year on Gorbie International. My friend and i went on a mission to Mississippi records to pick this up, my first day in Portland, and it was permanently situated on the record player, my first week in Portland, scoring many exciting and confusing mornings and evenings, lodged in my head as i explored the streets of the City of Roses.
The packaging of A Night Goes Through is the first thing that catches yr attention, and quite rightly. The record comes with 13 art postcards, one for each song, with a pictorial representation on the front, and the lyrics on the back; each printed on beautiful matte paper. Ghostly images of autumnal trees and childhood photographs creates a mood of longing and nostalgia, a sense of mystery, that perks up the curiosity like raspberries on the tongue, guiding one into the nooks and crannies, the secret heart of the album.
This attention to detail is captured in the music as well, flourishes and nuances, like the call-and-response cello of The Promise, trumpet fanfares on Autumn, or the sweet lead guitar on Thrift Store Buzz
. The talented and sensitive arrangements help Barry Brusseau stand apart from the legions of tepid, uninspired cafe-dwellers, with nothing of import to say. A Night Goes Through is a record that you can spend some time with, gazing at its beautiful artwork, getting to know the lyrics, and vicariously, getting to know Barry Brusseau.
In this day and age of ultimate media glut, it is difficult to seperate the wheat from the chaff, difficult to keep up with the deluge of inspired art that is pouring out every second of every day. Care, quality, and craftmanship are becoming increasingly essential, the bar has been raised, and some are rising to the challenge. I admire this devotion to the music, elevating the world and the people in it by creating something amazing. Barry Brusseau has created something amazing here, saving 50 bucks a week for over 2 years to put this sucker out. He's selling the record for 10 bucks a piece, which seems almost certifiable to me. If yr around town, i'd recommend picking it up at Mississippi Records or Millenium Music, or some other fine purveyor of underground tunage. If yr not from around these parts, pick it up online, tell yr friends, and stop by and visit some of the amazing talent that's going on in the rainy part of the country.
A Night Goes Through is an inspired first release, with potential of even greater things to come. Don't sleep on this one, he only made 300.
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