The Liminal (UK)

Deupree’s latest release on his own 12K label is about as far removed from his original music as it’s possible to be. This could loosely be described as “ambient” music, with minimal, if any, BPM. There’s a strong organic feel to the tracks that could actually see it as a companion piece to one of the label’s other releases this year, Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level. The gentle waves of sound lap at your ears like waves on an endless beach. The sounds undulate, slowly unfurling and revealing their majesty over extended time. Treated guitars twirl and pirouette, dancing lightly over everything else. It’s an immersive experience, ideal to listen to on headphones either very late at night or very early in the morning, when the light is haunting, and it makes even the most routine and mundane of views seem beautiful and special. ‘Thaw’ is the centrepiece of the album, and it perfectly reflects the slow process after which it’s named. The music changes shape constantly but in a ponderous and drawn out manner, yet remains bright and shimmering in its sound. Faint is a beautiful album that rewards the listener on different levels – the more you engage with it, the more it gives up, and yet if you just want to lose yourself in it then it then it won’t disappoint – it’s rare for an album to work so well like this, and it’s a testimony to how skilled a composer Deupree is. (RH)