Inner Thought Zone

Description

Maurice Deebank recorded his instrumental solo debut for the seminal Cherry Red imprint in 1984 while still the guitarist in Felt, the pastoral English pop group led by the notorious eccentric Lawrence Hayward (best known simply as Lawrence). Felts early albums Crumbling the Anti-septic Beauty, The Splendour of Fear and Ignite the Seven Cannons and Set Sail for the Sun were marked by melancholy guitar interplay and a lofty pop sensibility, but Inner Thought Zone illustrates how significant Deebanks role was in crafting Felts 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 its 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 Deebanks peers in the post- punk era, but rarely with as much impeccable grace and finesse.