John Vanderslice finds Focus by returning to the voice

John Vanderslice’s Focus announcement on 16 June carries the satisfying feeling of an artist turning back toward an old room and finding it changed. After recent experimental electronic detours and work with Google Earth, Vanderslice is returning to a more song-forward mode on Focus, led by From The Life Of The Marionettes. The backstory is charmingly human: his wife Maria missed his voice and helped write lyrics, opening a path back into singing after a period where he apparently felt he had nothing left to say. That emotional setup gives the album an extra layer beyond genre. This is not simply an indie veteran dusting off the acoustic guitar. It is a return to voice as relationship, memory and identity. The single reportedly pairs acoustic strums, electronic pulse and sophistipop colour, which sounds exactly like a bridge between old Vanderslice and the restless newer one.

Source: https://stereogum.com/2502408/john-vanderslice-announces-new-album-focus-hear-from-the-life-of-the-marionettes/music/