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About One Bright Sign
Product Description One Bright Sign is the official debut album from Seattle band Epigene. Their music is best described as modern melodic pop/rock that incorporates the elements of 70's R&B, the kinetic energy of New Wave and dramatic elements of progressive rock. Epigene songwriter Sean Bigler's compositions remain accessible on the surface but contain a lyrical & musical depth that is revealed after repeated listens. His remarkably elastic tenor recalls a young Sting or even Stevie Wonder and can swing from soft to overdrive from song to song. "Lonely Together Forever", the album's opener, is funkified driving rock about a miserable couple too afraid to break up. In contrast, "You bring out the Best in Me" is a piece of Stevie Wonder-inspired R&B positivity about true love with a Rhodes, sequencers and swirling backwards pianos over a layered dance groove. "Troubled Man" is dark, brooding hip-hop jazz reminiscent of Steely Dan. The troubled man in the narrative was inspired by Jack Nicolson's lonely, shut-down character in the movie Five Easy Pieces and the ending melancholy trumpet perfectly captures the despair of a man cut off from others and his own feelings. The album's 14 immaculately arranged songs cover! a lot of ground both musically and emotionally, from the frantic melodic punk of "Night Rally" (think pre-orchestral XTC) to the languid, trance-like "Sleeptime." The album seems tied together by an underlying theme of hope over despair seen though various character sketches and emotional conflicts. One constant attribute of One Bright Sign is a highly developed and creative sense of melody; the kind aspired to but rarely seen these days. The result is a near-perfect synthesis of past musical styles into a modern, compelling sound with a vulnerability that won't leave you cold. About the Artist The word Epigene is an adjective used to describe something occurring on the surface or just under the surface of the earth. It is foreign to the material in which it is found; like a crystal seam in bedrock. Epigene is also a word that describes the music and lyrics of Seattle based songwriter Sean Bigler (vocals, guitars, keyboards). His songs contain a lyrical depth and melodic sophistication rarely found among today's modern rock/pop contemporaries. Seattle's Rocket magazine reviewed Epigene's debut EP in 1999 and wrote:"Epigene aren't bad at all. Not every band can make '70s AM pop/rock work in a modern context many of their songs are quite compelling and worthy of a wink from Bacharach." Listen.com wrote that Epigene "Blends the chord changes of 1970s Progressive Rock with the kinetic energy of New Wave." Sean Bigler's first musical experience started with classical piano where he eventually learned the importance of playing by feel, rather than by the book! . A good portion of childhood was spent listening to his parents classic rock and New Wave records while pretending to like the music of his peers. His Peace Corps experience in the Middle East was primarily a vehicle for learning to write songs on the guitar, (although he did find the time to be a volunteer). Since returning to Seattle in 1996 he's played many acoustic shows and has mainly been a solo artist. He's also written music for a radio murder mystery series and worked for a small record label in the UK. In the spring of 1999, Sean met Edgar Allan (bass) and Darrell Grey (drums) who had responded to his ad at Cornish College of the Arts. Both had recently moved to Seattle and were former musicians of the Oakland scene, founding the dangerous and highly influential "Klezmer"/funk/fusion group Salamander in the early nineties. After finishing their debut CD in July, the band added Bonnie Lykes (keyboards, harmony vocals). Bonnie was originally the lead singer in the S! F punk band The Proper Shoes before moving to Seattle to study jazz. The band gigged locally for about a year before playing an MP3.com/Angelcity showcase in LA along with 180 other unsuspecting bands. Following this debacle, Epigene called it quits for a while but not before laying down drum & bass tracks for the new album. Several months of painstaking home recordings followed. Finally, after mixing and mastering the songs at Rainstorm studios, "One Bright Sign" was completed. The album's 14 songs cover much ground, both musically and emotionally and are tied together by an underlying theme of hope over despair. Each song is truly a world unto itself with a strong melodic and lyrical identity. One Bright Sign explores soul, ska, prog, power pop and new wave while retaining the essential elements of melodic rock. The result is a near-perfect synthesis of past musical styles into a modern, compelling sound with a vulnerability that won't leave you cold.
