Jun 02 2009
Textura review Kiku by Oppressed by the Line.
In addition to its electronic and shoegaze pop dimensions, there’s also a synth-heavy “robot music” quality to Thompson’s music but such a label can err in underacknowledging the personality and warmth that humanizes the Oppressed By The Line sound.
Jun 02 2009
Textura review Collected Recordings by Gareth Dickson.
Throughout the fifty-minute recording, the finger-picking of his glistening steel-stringed acoustic guitar merges wonderfully with his fragile vocalizing, and the peaceful ambiance created by the slow-motion tracks is seductive too; if anything, the oasis of calm established by Collected Recordings is so soothing one would prefer to never leave.
Jun 02 2009
The Silent Ballet post their thoughts on the newest Oppressed by the Line record, “Kiku”.
A fictional account of an album’s creation:
The artist sits silently among stacks of novella and memorabilia in a silent room. Very little light is present in the room save that given off by a few weak bulbs placed in corners. His movements are slow and careful as he reaches for a knob half hidden underneath a sheaf of papers. Suddenly the room seems to come alive in spite of itself: life despite dust. A chorus of dulcimers dance atop liquid xylophone strikes. The artist manipulates another creaky knob and the addictive introduction begins filling with other sounds like an opened dam. Moved by his own creation of dub drums and Utopian organs, he begins repeating a mantra into an echo chamber repeatedly, “Do you know how far I’ve come to be with you? Clarity escapes me.” The layering of elements is so pleasant it is repeated several times; the artist can’t help being pleased with its beauty.
