Out Passed Nowhere is the debut solo album from Oliver Ray. Unfurling like a long stretch of road leading out past the edge of town, the album takes the listener to uncharted destinations beyond the edges of the map. Centered around Ray’s songwriting, the album finds him backed by a kaleidoscopic array of guest performers from the Bay Area, Tucson, and the NYC music communities.
Ray’s transcendent tunes are brought to life in stunning wide screen detail by members of Patti Smith, Howe Gelb, and members of Sugar Candy Mountain, Giant Sand, and The Myrrors. Working in collaboration with producer David Glasebrook, the two created a unique sonic landscape for each song; throwing genre conventions out the window, they focused on capturing distinctive, emotionally resonant sounds.
Each song has a distinctive flavor, but like the pieces to a puzzle they add up to more than the sum of their parts. The guitar explorations of Ol’ Coyote sit side by side with the dusty folk of Setting Sun, the psychedelic swirl of Best Game in Town, the darkly orchestral Tower and the Star, and the ambient tone poem Edge City.
The resulting album is a songwriting tour de force set amidst a swirling sonic landscape that recalls Bob Dylan or Cass McCombs as much as Brian Eno and Mark Hollis. Out Passed Nowhere is a captivating statement from an artist in his prime.
Although it may be his solo debut, Ray has been playing music and writing songs for decades, and this album stands as a testament to all those miles of road traveled; all those hours spent with pen to paper; all those songs sung and yet to be sung.
Tracklisting:
1. Ol’ Coyote
2. Ready
3. Best Game in Town
4. Setting Sun
5. Bye Beautiful
6. Tower and the Star
7. Queen of Never
8. Wise Blood
9. Edge City