Jon Gomm: The Faintest Idea auf 2 LPs

Jon Gomm, der in Großbritannien ansässige Akustikgitarrenvirtuose, findet mit seinem neuen Album »The Faintest Idea« neue emotionale Tiefen in riesigen melodischen Poplandschaften. Wenn die meisten Leute eine Akustikgitarre anschauen, sehen sie genau das – eine Holzkiste mit Saiten. Als einer der Pioniere des modernen Fingerstyle-Sounds hat Jon Gomm jedoch die seltene Gabe, ein Instrument in ein ganzes Orchester zu verwandeln...

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When most people look at an acoustic guitar, they see exactly that – a wooden box with strings. As one of the pioneers of the modern fingerstyle sound, however, Jon Gomm has a rare gift for turning one instrument into what feels like an entire orchestra...

The Blackpool-born singer-songwriter’s 2003 home-recorded debut, »Hypertension«, was nothing short of a musical revelation: drumming beats, tapping chords & striking harmonics on his acoustic underneath that warm, soulful voice. Things changed for Jon when landmark single »Passionflower« racked up millions of views on YouTube and other media platforms in 2012 – with British TV legend Stephen Fry describing him on mainstream television as someone »playing the guitar in a way I’d never seen it played before« and »an all-round genius«. Follow up album »Secrets Nobody Keeps« arrived in 2013, further cementing his stature as one of the driving forces behind an acoustic revolution – but now, having signed a label deal for the very first time in his career, he’s managed to truly refine the pop sensibilities and emotive expression within that unmistakable wall of sound.

The Faintest Idea’s title is based on the notion that all of us, to some extent, are just The Faintest Idea, »It’s an enigmatic title«, smiles Gomm. »There’s a fine line between a metaphor and a pun, so I guess it dances on that« and explores the contrasts between the warmth of Gomm’s acoustic articulation with more icy affairs, thanks to the synth parts and production work from Australian musician Andy Sorenson, together they have created a contemporary masterpiece.

The album is complemented by the delicate hand drawn pen and ink cover art created by Lee Zimmerman.

The Faintest Idea’s immersive and emotional 11 tracks sees a musician coming to terms with the talents that got him recognised and choosing to evolve into the unexpected and, despite having already gone viral and established himself as one of the modern-day masters of acoustic, this could very well be the release that sees the virtuoso transition to a mainstream audience, and it really just boils down to the magic of one man with his guitar and voice. And what a powerful magic it is.

Rezensionen

»Nach dem Abhören dieser wundervollen Doppel-LP (.​.​.​) weiß man (.​.​.​) genau, dass dieser Songschreiber eine unfassbare Fülle an Sounds aus seinem Instrument locken kann und damit zum Teil grandiose Songs grundiert.​« (Audio, April 2021)