BC Bogey is the VOICE IN THE ATTIC. He is a critically acclaimed songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, award winning music video director and classically trained singer whose live performances have been hailed as an archetypal world of precise sonic imagery. “I like music that’s organic,” Bogey says. “In this quantized ‘hyper real’ day and age when recording I frequently pick those takes that sound less perfect, but preserve the original vibe. It’s what I call the ‘humanizing approach.'”
On the fifteen tracks of the forthcoming album “After Songdown”, to be released on November 15 through Betsy Belfry Records, an acoustic guitar and a vintage piano manufactured at the turn of the twentieth century form the backbone of the music. Together with violins, a viola, a cello, an upright bass, drums, percussion instruments (cajón, marimba, shakers & tambourines) and two charismatic vocalists who create the album’s unique sound.
BC Bogey set a very high standard for himself with his previous works but here he reaches and surpasses those standards by coming at it from an unexpected angle, playing with the seasoned wisdom of experience and the daring and ambition of youth, in the company of musicians that deeply comprehend and extend his idiosyncratic vision. It’s obviously a must-buy for his fans, but even for listeners who are only familiar with VOICE IN THE ATTIC’s moody contributions, it’s worth picking up as an exploration of new emotional and musical territory by one of the most fertile musical minds around.
As soon as I began listening to this album I knew it was VOICE IN THE ATTIC. Well he has a pretty distinctive voice so how would I not know it was him? What I mean is that if you removed his voice and just played everything else, I would still be thinking these are VOICE IN THE ATTIC songs. The chords, structure, and arrangements – they all carry the feel of his other recordings and adding his wonderful voice to it wraps it into one nice package.
BC Bogey’s work in general and this recording in particular, is a masterpiece which needs to be heard. The melodies are memorable. The harmonies soar. The rhythms are striking. The lyrics are sobering and personal. They speak to our times. BC has succeeded in the most fundamental component of great art. He has beautifully expressed the universal through the particular. The musicianship is impeccable. Brilliantly produced, the sonic envelope and production are unsurpassed. Drawing on the strengths of both, “After Songdown” has all the warmth and depth of analog, but does not for one moment lack a similar crispness and clarity reminiscent of digital. It is an extremely compelling experience.
VOICE IN THE ATTIC is Nick Drake, Chris Rea and Tom Waits all rolled into one. Moody, melancholic and thought-provoking, songs such as “Glass”, “Ablaze (JazzMy AzzMix)”, “Tear (WatershedMix)”, “Over” and “Sundown” are as inventive and beautiful as ever. A special mention must go to “Tribute”, which is exactly what the title says, a tribute to the Foo Fighters and Nirvana, reworked and crafted with the glow of insight by BC Bogey. I was drawn into these songs musically and found myself pondering a poet’s lyrics about life and looking for meanings.
With all of these elements considered together, I am not sure a more authentic, organic, neo folk-rock recording has been produced in recent times. Embedded with the ethos of the 60’s, extracts from all the elements that made the 70’s so magical, and without being nostalgic, this body of work succeeds by the very nature of its understated fusion of yesterday and today.
If you were to only buy only one recording this year, this should, hands down, be it. Mixed by Craig Durrance and Mastered by Bernie Grundman, “After Songdown” is the definition of sonic mastery. Most important, it is a musical experience that is compelling, moving, and nutritious. Popular music simply does not get better than this. VOICE IN THE ATTIC is a much needed anomaly in these times. Simply brilliant!
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