Mark Dwinell (aka, Nonloc) brings his orchestra of guitars, pianos, cellos, accordions, banjos, mandolins and saxes to bear on his sophomore solo effort (Dwinell also leads Massachusetts space rockers, Bright, whose ?Bells Break Their Towers,? also released on Strange Attractors, was one of our favorite releases in 2005). A minimalist, repetitive, Steve Reichian groove propels opener, ?Corpus Callosum? and the upbeat energy continues with the multi-tracked banjos, mandolins and acoustic guitars on ?Candide.? ?The Golden Apple Pie? is a rudimentary, yet ultimately hypnotic exercise in guitar strumming, while ?Piano Stream? is exactly that?returning us to a smooth flowing, Reichian loop that?s a headphone enthusiast?s wet dream!

The phrase ?Velvet Underground? is admittedly tossed around with reckless abandon in critical circles these days, but ?Sentry at Eleusis? is not only a Lou Reed title if ever I heard one, but it effectively creates that Reed/Cale ambience?that controlled chaos and hypnotic repetition that I haven?t enjoyed this much since vintage Jesus & Mary Chain and Raveonettes. The cacophonous ?My Song Before The Gates? seems indebted to Terry Reilly, ca. ?Reed Streams? and, while ?A Popular Tune? may not be immediately recognizable, it?s glistening, multi-tracked guitars and guest Jesse Sparhawk?s flickering harp cascade over your body like a cool shower on a blistering hot summer?s day! I invite you to close your eyes, put your feet up and toss your head back and contemplate the universe hiding behind your mind?s eye.

Dueling mandolins return us to Reich and Reilly territory on the aptly titled ?Clearing? that once again explores the repetitive minimalist loops that form the album?s central motif. So, to paraphrase that great bard, Paul McCartney, ?if this wild and crazy world in which we live in has got you down,? and the extraneous noise in your daily life is seeping into your head, you just need to sit back and turn everything off and take a few deep, cleansing breaths and, like me, interpret the album?s title as a reference to the gray matter between your ears (and not geographical land masses). I encourage you to find a comfortable set and setting, turn off your mind, relax and float downstream and let Dwinell?s minimalist soundscapes sooth that mental noise between your hemispheres. You may even find extra comfort in the soothing, quite Eno-esque, ?Two Dreams,? which eloquently and effectively recalls his pop period, ca. ?Before and After Science,? ?Taking Tiger Mountain,? and ?Another Green World.? 9/10 -- Jeff Penczak (26 June, 2007)