Oppressed By The Line – Soft Focus
Having initially come to prominence on the Club AC30 label as Oppressed By The Line, Jon Thompson has now started up his own imprint. Drifting Falling specialise in IDM, electronica and shoegaze. This is quite handy seeing as Thompson himself has expertise in all of these areas and so it seems totally appropriate that the latest release is by his own project.
‘Soft Focus’ is, at times, too in thrall its title so less substantial efforts like opener ‘Condensation’ and the cluttered ‘Shattering Glass Houses’ fall into the shoegazing-by-numbers category; where layers of electronica and guitar effects merge together into a blur. Otherwise, Thompson is an artist who gains interest the more experimental his music becomes. ‘Sorry I Never Wrote You Back’ may be just a short instrumental but its unique, beguiling hook is a definite standout. Likewise the warm sounds of ‘Don’t Bestow The Lesser Things’ is splendidly arranged; consisting of light but fascinating beats and Thompson’s moving vocals. It is at these times when he steps out from the shadows of his more famous contemporaries. I was also pleased to hear ’Solitude’ on ‘Soft Focus’. It’s a track I heard Thompson perform live a couple of years ago where his gentle melancholic tones showed that he was a talent to be reckoned with.
Above all, although he is occasionally a prisoner of the past, Thompson also looks to the future with his deployment of electronica and warm vocals forming the key ingredients. With a talented roster of artists already assembled on Drifting Falling as well, the future looks bright indeed for his musical projects.
More of Jon’s Reviews can be found at his blog, Leonards Lair