South London singer-storyteller Gecko shares fan-crowdfunded third album The Big Picture, an ambitious collection of tracks written from Gecko’s point of view and ones where he embodies a character.
A showcase of his creativity and collaborative spirit, the album was crafted alongside Mercury-nominated engineer Shuta Shinoda, the legendary Phil Veacock (Jools Holland) on sax and clarinet and an exciting cast of musicians.
Brimming with his signature wit and warmth, the album is confident and experimental. Gecko says, “For ‘The Big Picture’ I worked with the incredible engineer/mixer Shuta Shinoda (Ghostpoet, Hot Chip). Shuta not only used his technical wizardry and love of analogue hardware to elevate the capturing of organic instruments he also instilled me with confidence in my own home recordings. If something sounded cool it stayed so I felt I could really lean into the scrapbook style, with samples including but not limited to my baby niece’s coos, my Grandad’s voice, my cats purr, gaffa tape, cardboard tubes and a wooden frog.”
From intriguing tales of pigs on the run on “The Tamworth Two,” to bird songs in the morning “The Dawn Chorus,” to an ode to friendship on “Family To Me,” upbeat love track “It’s You (That I Find)” and heartwarming Lost Boys,” the album is equal parts whimsical and thoughtful as it weaves immersive and curious sonic tales.
A vibrant and life-affirming yet emotive production that reminds us of how special life is even amidst the chaos of the world, the album is rooted in the comfort and solace of tracks like “Geology,” and “Take a Look Around,” before crooning jazz number “The Universe,” soars to finish as the perfect finale.
With a luscious yet grounding artistry alongside charming yet contemplative lyricism, Gecko continues to allure us with each new release.
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