Album Review: Her Blurry Pictures by Mathew Jonson

In an era where artists struggle with identity, authenticity and balancing their creative instincts with the broader currents of the music industry, former Vancouver-based electronic producer Mathew Jonson has been able to carve out a space where his meticulously crafted vision for analog-driven techno and house has been able to flourish. Whereas Jonson's past solo work has been used as a form of emotional escapism, a period of change and inward reflection over the past couple years in his new home base of Berlin, and subsequent shift to living in India during the winter to recharge his batteries, has created a much more immediate, enthralling and emotionally connected collection of tracks. Jonson's meaty rhythms have made way for more focused, lean techno templates where synths bubble with melodies before effortlessly disappearing into the ether.

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For longtime Mathew Jonson and Cobblestone Jazz fans, Her Blurry Pictures will be manna from heaven. More a portfolio than a cohesive album, its eight tracks comprise an eclectic look-book of styles throughout which the Canadian's production trademarks (meandering melodies; distinct echoes of his jazz and classical musical education; artfully blended live and programmed instrumentation) are all present and correct.The opening three tracks could hardly be more different. If it weren't so loaded a term, you might describe "Level 7" as progressive house: sparkling, wide-eyed and underpinned by subtle shifts in tempo and percussive idiosyncrasies.

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