It’s been four years since Jason Myles Goss released an album – and in those four years a lot has happened.  In 2006 Jason packed his bags and moved from the Boston music scene to Brooklyn, NY to further explore his musical talents. In New York Jason successfully mapped out his new world, a place where certain beauty revealed itself amongst flaws. A place where Jason found the fervor to write, sip coffee and write some more, and where a front row seat to tranquility was only an admission ticket and Ferris wheel ride away. In fact, it was a visit to Coney Island where Jason’s latest album, “A Plea for Dreamland” began to take shape.

      “When I first came to Brooklyn I went down to Coney Island and became fascinated by it and started reading about its history,” Jason explains. “It’s this sort of place that is very sacred but kind of fundamentally flawed and sort of wounded. I wanted that same kind of palpable feeling that I had at Coney Island to reflect on the record itself. Something that can still be very valuable, but not earth shattering: not perfect. And maybe even more valuable because of its flaws.”

      Further from home, yet delving deeper into his roots, Jason composed and recorded his latest work, keeping his promise of delivering an album that bears beauty from simplicity and fluidity from flaws. Carrying a sound that is notably different from Jason’s previous albums, the tracks have a no-frills feel that leaves its listener truly believing less is more.

       In the title track, “A Plea for Dreamland,” Jason sings with a newfound subtlety to the gentle strum of his guitar, painting a vivid picture of Coney Island.  If you close your eyes you can almost see the water churning into foam as he sings, “You can hear the waves like they’re crashing just for you.”

      “I just couldn’t imagine another song coming after that [on the album],” Jason explains. “And so in some strange way I feel like the other songs sort of spring from that song.” 

      Recording part of the album in a warehouse undergoing construction with friend and drummer, Joel Arnow, and piecing the rest of the album as Jason puts it, “via pen pal” with fellow musical talents (Zack Hickman, Austin Nevins, Sam Kassirer and Neil Cleary), Jason allowed each song to form authentically. Each element of experience seemed to play a part in the making of this album – even the sometimes disruptive clamoring of hammers and the faint hum of a power drill had its place in the process.

      “Everything felt just a little less precious,” Jason said. “I was trying not to fight with the circumstances I had available.”

      Each song carries its own distinct sound and atmosphere. There is the lighthearted tune, “Coffee and Wine” where Jason sings a carefree ballad over the playful piano playing of Sam Kassirer. On the raucous track, “Dive Bar,” Jason’s vocal styling exudes a gritty, country tone, marrying the steady rhythm of guitar and drums to the shakes of a tambourine.

      The album offers a variety of new settings and sounds to explore, while preserving the familiar sound that Jason has always brought to his music. Songs like “June” capture the purity of Jason’s voice, evoking a feeling of gentle warmth and ease that seals the bonds between mood and melody, emotion and lyric.

      “I feel a lot more comfortable within my own skin and within the songs on this album,” Jason says. There is a development there. Whether you are songwriter or you make birdhouses, if you make them over and over again you are going to start to make changes, and basically come into more of your own.”

      There is a feeling of growth on the album and yet a clear path to where it all began for Jason; the path leads back to Boston on Saturday, June 13, at Club Passim for the album’s much anticipated release.

      Playing the release show at Club Passim is in many ways a homecoming for Jason, who began his career playing open mic nights there. The club even gave Jason a financial hand in the production of the album, with aid from its Iguana Music Fund, which helps support musicians in the New England area.

      “Passim is amazing. I almost fear I will be smiling way too much during the show,” Jason says. With many fans back here in Boston, there is an expectation that the feeling will be mutual.

      In so many ways this album is a reflection of Jason’s talent as an artist. It reflects both the simple and beautiful, the creative and the basic, and growth tied to its roots. “A Plea for Dreamland” is a testament to how even the furthest of places can bring us that much closer to home. Welcome home, Jason.  

      To learn more about Jason Myles Goss, purchase his new album or to purchase tickets for the release please visit: http://jasonmylesgoss.com 

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