As we tumble further into the future, many blue collar jobs are being taken by robots able to perfectly perform automated tasks. Consequently, few youngsters these days display rough palms, as the work they were promised slips away.

This is a major theme on 'The Ballad of Willy Robbins,' a concept album from Pennsylvania singer-songwriter, Vikesh Kapoor. It follows the story of an out-of-luck tradesman who experiences a cruel end. In an age of recession, Kapoor's music rings true. The ballad 'I Dreamt Blues,' is a slow-grinding folk lament about the value of daily labor.

"'I Dreamt Blues' is at once a ballad and an ode to dreams," Kapoor tells Diffuser.fm. "It was chosen as a first glimpse into 'The Ballad of Willy Robbins' because it casts the widest light on what this album is about. Love, work, technology, government and apathy all exist in this song, providing a landscape-view of the album's narrative."

"Yet, 'I Dreamt Blues' is also a magnified, head-on portrait of our main character as he gives us an unguarded, lyrical song of resignation," he adds. "Perhaps he's singing directly to us, or to a lover, or perhaps he's not singing aloud at all -- just to the thoughts in his head. At best, he's taking a long look at what's left before him, as his dreams become hazy, his days remain numbered, and his hopes begin to disappear."

'The Ballad of Willy Robbins' is available on Oct. 15 via Mama Bird Recording Co.

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