Nov 21 2008
Oppressed By The Line - Soft Focus
Oppressed By The Line
Soft Focus
Drifting Falling; 2008
I am of the firm belief that electronic music is one of the more misunderstood phyla in the whole of the Music Kingdom. Some dismiss it as music not made on real instruments, but last time I checked, keyboards and synthesizers are quite real. Others criticize it as music made by folks who aren’t real musicians because they “rely” upon technology, though I’d imagine that a great many indie and punk musicians wouldn’t know a treble clef if it hit them in the head. Then there’s another group of naysayers who would tell you that such music isn’t very exciting, because it’s often ambient and atmospheric in composition, often without vocals, and devoid of pop and rock’s pacing. To these folks, I would simply wish them well and send them back to the safe, insulated work of their preferred niches, since not everyone can be reasoned with logically.
Because when the syrupy synth tones of Soft Focus from Oppressed By The Line wash over my ears, I can’t help but feel sorry for those who can’t enjoy this kind of music. From beginning to end, this Houston, TX-based artist (known as Jon Thompson in real life) has created a record that is as richly sweet as the best dark chocolate while maintaining a lightness in flavor that belies any hint of unwanted bulk. Tracks like “Condensation,” “The Stars Are Sleeping,” and “Static Images And Soft Whispers,” though quite dreamy and trance-inducing, keep you engaged with their dense musical ideas, while “Don’t Bestow The Lesser Things,” “Solitude,” and “I Can’t Remember The Sound” serve as standout songs, packed with thick ‘80s patterns reminiscent of early Depeche Mode and New Order. Soft Focus is an impressive effort, designed with the electronic music aficionado in mind, but it possesses the necessary qualities (upbeat sections, guitar fills, and vocals) that allow it to serve as a record one could use to break down the walls of musical ignorance that some have erected. And that, to me, is a sign of an excellent record.
