With the release of “Come Back”, Brian Bourgault has delivered 4 studio singles and an album within the course of 2022. This prolific sequence might produce listener whiplash following the kinetic intensity and rock n’ roll fierceness of these works. Yet, even with their tonal and tempo differences, these recordings give testimony to a season of intriguing creative fruitfulness for Bourgault, a period yielding artistic adventurousness and experimentation.
Brian Bourgault is a singer, songwriter, and producer, based in Denver, Colorado who has been making music since the early ’90’s. A former guitar player, he has had to recreate himself due to a progressive inherited disease that has paralyzed his hands and prevents him from playing any instruments. Bourgault now writes, using midi instruments in Logic Pro, and often hires session musicians to fill out the sound.
Brian Bourgault
If “Come Back” is any indication, Brian Bourgault has been pondering life, love, and other existential concerns, much like the rest of us during this troublesome season. The track is built on a racy upbeat rhythm, awash with pulsating organic instrumentation, topped with Bourgault’s resonating but unpretentious vocal delivery, which adds an air of immediacy and authenticity to his performance.
“I’m your spaceship, on a day trip, alright. Time is sacred, don’t you waste it, alright. If you came back tonight. If you come back, maybe I can come back to life. I’m impatient, I can’t wait for the night. Time is sacred, let’s get wasted, alright,” sings Brian Bourgault, as he explores the paradox of the human condition. The trademark intensity of the singer-songwriter’s music broils just beneath the surface of the progression of the song, erupting in small bursts.
The song employs vocal inflections, rhythmic strikes by the electric guitar, Hammond organ notes, and tempo tension rather than relying predominantly on dirty face-melting riffs – as Brian Bourgault did on “Good Dog” – to guide his listeners into the song’s emotional weight.
“Come Back” is about the beautiful, mysterious fragility and desire of human connection. Brian Bourgault’s songwriting shines here with striking images that seek to gesture at this desire, without losing it in the passion for the technical precision that exists on the record. The track is an energetic, hard-driving affair watermarked by excellent musicianship, vocals and production.
Overall, the abundance of releases in one calendar year hint at a portion of the creative multitudes that Brian Bourgault contains within himself. Whether he should be considered a throwback to a bygone era or a transitional figure to something new, depends on your vision of rock n’ roll, but taken as a singular statement, “Come Back” is Brian Bourgault staking a claim on the rock and alt-rock musical landscape of 2022 and beyond.
This standout track is a compact testimony to both, Brian Bourgault’s artistic status, and his resilience to pursue his passion despite the difficulties any physical impairment might cause him. He is simply an indulgent rock n’ roll warrior who disregards boundaries and limitations.
OFFICIAL LINKS: https://www.brianbourgault.com
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