CD Review

With home studios, drum machines and gear-stacked computers popping up in every city apartment, EP releases are being churned out by the minute. Though many of these infancy staged cds show some promise with perseverance, occasionally a LoFi album is destined to be a classic for the avid collector. The second release from Matters &Dunaway is one such album that separates itself in it's delicate intricacies. The fluidity throughout the five songs demonstrates a true understanding of simplistic ambience and trip-hop. Rather than attempting to showcase various styles, the duo remain focused on controlling the genre.

Full of deep bass lines, irregular drum patterns and trance/space keyboard work, the coyly entitled Midtech is constructed so that the listener eases into each new track. As one song fades out, the next seamlessly begins without definitive segues. Blending sounds ranging from the live electronica of The New Deal's "Then and Now" to the industrious studio perfection of Radiohead's "How to Disappear Completely", drummer Thomas Gallagher and jack-of-all-trades Andre Obin have created a strong benchmark to maintain early in their career. The cd moves in a bell curve pattern, with the gem of the disc coming as the centerpiece "Orange Code". A beautifully melodic introspective, it lays repetitive fading guitar lines over wispy synth and off-beat drums. With a limited budget, Midtech delivers much more emotion than a typical EP is capable of.