Epigene’s A Wall Street Odyssey is a real 21st century rock-opera, a tale of wealth, excess, crisis, love and redemption. Big word to use in the introduction to a review; brilliant, but this piece of work from Epigene is just that. Songwriter Sean Bigler and wife Bonnie Lykes have spent three years researching, writing and recording A Wall Street Odyssey in the Woodstock area of upstate New York.

Twenty five songs split over two discs and presented in an exceptionally high quality 56 page hard backed booklet do get your attention. And your attention is thoroughly rewarded, but to get the best out of this work you may need to do something many of you haven’t done for a long time, if at all. You will have to sit down and listen to this album in one go to get the real best of it. Now for some of us, that’s not too big an ask. Some of us can remember that listening to music was a dedicated leisure activity interspersed with the interaction of changing sides of vinyl every twenty minutes. The days of deliberately sitting down to listen to music may seem alien to the iPod generation for whom music is something that accompanies movement and travel. However, the effort of sitting down and listening to this rock opera will be a thoroughly rewarding experience.

There’s a whole litany of musical influences quoted in the PR blurb accompanying A Wall Street Odyssey. Everyone from The Who and The Kinks through to Muse and Green Day gets a mention. For this listener one name kept coming to mind; Supertramp. Now some may get rather snootily dismissive at the mention of the name of Supertramp but let’s not forget Breakfast in America alone shifted in excess of 20 million albums making Supertramp one of Britain’s biggest bands of the 70s.

Getting to the music itself it would be rather pointless giving you a run through of the songs and remarking on each. This is a rock opera, every song is a chapter in a bigger story, a sum greater than its constituent parts. There are, however, tracks including Looks Like I’ve Made It, Brother, Take My Hand, The Settlement of Love and Back To The Country that will stand on their own when they appear through shuffle on your iPod. Oh, and I said 21st Century rock-opera earlier didn’t I? Well, those with longer musical memories will place much of the music style here right in the middle of prog-rock territory. While essentially being guitar led there are some serious keyboard twiddlings that Rick Wakeman himself would have been proud of. But I wouldn’t want that tag to put anyone off; there are plenty of pop-rock influences here to make this a very accessible listen. As I’ve said, my mind was constantly drawn to Supertramp and the rock bands of that mid to late 70s era. Much of that may be due to Sean Bigler’s particular vocal style but let’s finish with the musical tagging game as there’s too a wide range of influences at play here.

The story follows Yossarian a successful Wall Street banker who finds the stress of maintaining his success difficult and resorts increasingly to drink and drugs to get him through until they eventually take over and ruin him. He’s sacked and ends up homeless roaming the streets he once towered above. At his very lowest, Yossarian is offered the chance to leave the city behind and move to a commune in the country. Yossarian goes, recovers and immerses himself in the good life. However, one nature induced ‘trip’ gives him a vision of the future and a forthcoming market crash. He leaves the commune despite much protestation to travel back to the city to spread the word about the forthcoming crash and how everyone could lead a better life by moving back to the country. He’s not welcomed by those he used to work with and his message falls on deaf ears and you guessed it, the crash and worse happen. Yossarian is hounded out as a conspiracy kook and while avoiding the Police has another vision while asleep in a dumpster. Isis reveals a greater world conspiracy to him (Pan came the first time around; Mr Bigler loves his mythical characters). A new world order comes into being and a worldwide currency introduced and Yossarian fails in his attempt to convince the people to flee the city. Feeling he has failed in his purpose Yossarian has a final epiphany and realises he alone is not responsible for enlightening the people and feeling freed he returns home to the country.

A story written by an anti globalisation campaigner perhaps; who knows but it does hang together well and the whole story is told through the songs, though there is a very helpful six-page story outline in the excellent booklet.

Do I have any problems with this album? Well, yes, one. To some this may seem to be really petty, others may get what I mean (I hope). Sean Bigler’s hero of A Wall Street Odyssey is called Yossarian and is inspired by the character of the same name in Joseph Heller’s "Catch 22". There is even a track called The Catch 22 so Mr Bigler is not shying away from the link. However, for me there is only one Yossarian and its Heller’s. Of all the names to pick, Mr Bigler had to pick the most iconic of anti-heroes. With the opportunity to create his own new fictional hero Mr Bigler chooses the name of someone else’s. I genuinely don’t get it. Told you it was a petty niggle; I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it!

This is a rock-opera, so could A Wall Street Odyssey transfer to the stage? Well, if "We Will Rock You" can get a West End run, why not? The story hangs together well and is contemporary. The songs would transfer well, though whether all of them could be included in a stage production, I’m not sure. There are plenty of ‘set piece’ songs here many of which could be adapted for those big chorus show numbers everyone seems to like. But this is all speculation, what we have here and now is an excellent piece of work – a rock-opera that works without the need for intervening staging. I loved it.

Reviewed by D-Jaysea.

Epigene's A Wall Street Odyssey is available now to purchase from Nimbit Music.