Inner Thought Zone [CD]

Reissue of the British guitarist's 1984 album. Maurice Deebank recorded his instrumental solo debut while still the guitarist in Felt, the pastoral English pop group led by the notorious eccentric Lawrence. Felt's early albums were marked by melancholy guitar interplay and a lofty pop sensibility, but Inner Thought Zone illustrates how significant Deebank's role was in crafting Felt's signature sound. Seven-minute album centerpiece 'Silver Fountain of Paradise Square' and 'Study No. 1' make beautiful use of supple arpeggios whimsically bent into cyclical structures in and around which Deebank weaves solos. His performance is nuanced and dynamic, undermining his own technical skill for the sake of expression, and it's easy to hear Inner Thought Zone as an exposition of the increasing introspection that led to his departure from Felt. Glistening chords, synthesizer flourishes and breezy plateaus of exaltation collide with the sense of loss and isolation generally explored by Deebank's peers in the Post-Punk Era, but rarely with as much impeccable grace and finesse.