Wither. Fade. Remain. Strip away the overdriven guitars, the sophisticated noises, the ambient sonic textures. Strip them away and at the core of this album-at the core of this artist’s music- is a voice and an acoustic guitar. Much like his live performances, “Wither. Fade. Remain.” is both emotionally charged and vulnerable. Thompson’s transparent lyrics and world-weary voice explore loss and hope, brokenness and restoration. Thompson’s music has always been hard to classify and genre-bending. The singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s first two albums-“Songs from Two Towns Over” and “Songs from a Broken Planet” respectively, have featured guitar driven garage blues, gospel, funk, and indie rock. However, his new work is far more personal more urgent and more experimental than anything he has ever done. The album’s opener “Jesus Come and Rescue Me” starts with a whisper quiet prayer and erupts into an aching, anthemic cry. Other songs such as “Blessed are the Weak,” “I’m Not Afraid,” and “Don’t Let Your Heart be Troubled” feature plaintive front and center vocals underscored by a current of rich sonic textures. Kevin’s lyrics are sharp and thought provoking. In the song “My Brother was a Terrorist” Thompson challenges artists, specifically Christian artists, that sing songs with an apparent disconnect from the lyrics. “We know the words but the words have lost their meaning. We know the tune but we’ve grown tired of hearing.” “If Tomorrow Your World Explodes” offers that “you could be happy if you’d shut your mouth ” And “I’m Still in Awe” is a worshipful anthem that has already began to be sung in churches throughout the northeast.