Poor Bailey Show Review

By Contessa A.

Mixing in some familiar titles such as “Oxy Moron” and “A Common Cold,” Pyrite and Gold, a self released double album from East Bay’s Poor Bailey, is a righteous compellation of everything you love about the band--meaningful lyrics, haunting melodies, and small town charm.
With interludes and nods to country greats, the tracks “Musical Mattress” and “The Pines (An American Nightmare)” battle it out with the mind pondering what the true meaning of life is. “The Pines,” a pun on the idea of the American dream, has added eerie violin cries brought on by a new addition to the group Anton Patzner, also known from the bands Audrye Sessions and Bright Eyes .
Trumpet and trombone tracks by Agi Granado give “The Pines” a strange, almost “Sergeant Peppers and the Lonely Hearts Club Band” sound as a trailing, off-beat, hodge-podge of people noises end the song.
Also on this 2-disc album is a revisited, more acoustic and violin touched version of “Gateway to the Delta” which breaths new perspective about suburban living.
“Mary Lee, My One and Lonely” is a quintessential love song that manages to shy away from being typical but classic and endearing.
You hear and understand Scott Allbright’s quirky personality and possibly his pessimism in “I Don’t Believe,” a hidden track at the end of the first disc, where he directs you to “stare across the land or study a map it’s clear as could be the earth is flat; there’s no way the world is round.”
Moving right along into disc 2 right after Disc 1 is a must because “ you haven’t heard nothing yet,” until you hit the more alternative and less folksy “Neon Cameo,” which truly seems to start a new chapter to their sound.
Disc 1 seems more focused on Oldies but Goodies, while Disc 2 starts to venture into new territory like “Old Scagg Slough” a definite nod to Johnny Cash’s story telling style and country flair, as Scott gets into the mood with harmonica riffs in classic Poor Bailey charm. While “The Terrible 20’s” is a fun generation anthem that rocks on all levels and could be very dancey at a show.
And to go out with a bang, a 10 minute song, entitled “A Song Without Words” tells you to “hail to the nation raised by toys that talk.” A violin and cello cameo by Amy Brussard and Jay Maddox on the French horn adds to the somber ambiance of this track.
Pyrite and Gold, is best for its honest lyrics. In fact, one of the most fascinating aspects of Poor Bailey is their lyrical realism and true-to-life situations. These guys have totally made more “imaginary friends than imaginary enemies” with this remarkable contribution to the East Bay music scene and beyond.