Total work of art is a big word; but Christoph Bouet also something of a total artist. He is a musician and songwriter, draftsman, painter and photographer, as well as a design and package fetishist.
If you google him, you will first come across the painter. An established artist whose work is exhibited and sold in prestigious galleries. The musician is a bit hidden behind it. And he only goes by the last name, Bouet.
Like his four previous albums, the current, fifth Bouet album seems to have turned off the highways and country roads of the American west coast, back in the 60s or 70s. Bouet’s songs breathed the spirit of that era, “Roadkill Madness” is reminiscent of Neil Young and Gene Clark, as Max Gösche writes in his review for ROLLING STONE. And yet it is very unique.
Already on the outside. Of course, the artist from Gommern near Magdeburg personally takes care of the artwork on his records. For “Roadkill Madness” he also designed a box like you’ve never seen before. It bothered him that digital versions of records offer so little haptically.
A box set can hardly be designed more elaborately
So Christoph Bouet created an unusual compilation of music, lyrics, graphics and photography: The “Studio Masters Art Pack” contains the HI-RES audio files of the album in master quality on a USB stick, a signed art print, a pretty little poster , two postcards, 7 stickers, a lavish booklet in CD format, prints of the album cover and above all: 20 fake polaroids with wonderful US suburban motifs – leftover cars from the 60s and 70s on deserted street corners. They look like Bouet’s songs sound like.
The box is limited to 555 pieces. The vinyl album is also available in various, lavishly equipped editions, from the signed gold to the deluxe edition. It includes, for example, an original graphite and ink drawing, an original polaroid and a thick hardcover book.
Collector’s Dreams. Crazy, but beautiful.