Reviewed by Jonathan Cairns

New Jersey-based Dw Dunphy is apparently an enigma. With only his Myspace page to go on, I had very little background information on him. His music is reminiscent of Brian Eno, or more recently, and almost certainly his main inspiration, The Album Leaf. Disappointingly, several of the tracks come across as slightly awkward, such as the messy "Election Year". Dw Dunphy seems to have great attention for detail for certain things, such as song structure and modern musical techniques, while missing others, such as production standards and clean musical performance. Though it's a bit unfair to criticise on the basis of production values when the ruling factor is money, it's important not to attempt too much with the available equipment. There are, however, bursts of inspiration on the album. "With All Of Our Things" is a very mature song with a soporific feel, and one of the album's highlights. "Pitch Black Lullaby" has its moments, with its well placed glockenspiel and harmonious vocals. However, another issue I have with the album is that I can't find anything to identify it as being Christian, and not providing lyrics in the sleeve doesn't help. The technical problems with this album unfortunately leave it distinctly unpolished, though not unlistenable: the imagination that is clearly evident in this music saves it.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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