Review 1

CrossRoads
(November 2006)

"The Strange Interconnectedness of Everything"  

WalktheTalk is a wandering aussie song poet who weaves darkly delicious melodies with aural bouquets of gardenia and thistle. Songs of a surreal and heartbroken neo-folky kind which ache with existential questioning. Playfully mournful lyrics that can peel away the apple of love and suck the peach of lust, with a knife that cuts all the way to the mystery and secrets of the universe. The "strange interconnectedness of everything" indeed - unravelling secrets that suggest everything is connected and that whilst most links are difficult to determine they are harder to fathom. Music which speaks so directly to the subconscious that ambiguity is transformed into ultimate understanding and satisfaction. WalktheTalk's voice , the apparatus of a tender soul, sings in hypnotic mantras with a wispy haze of falsetto harmonies and mystical ambiance. Like Leonard Cohen or Elliott Smith, the imagery and characters on the journey hint at making those connections and uncovering some universal truths. Halliday makes the inexplicable come to life and gives meaning through melody and poignant verse - with a cheap guitar, pure voice and eloquent pen this solemn seeker gives us the clues. A saviour to the wounded butterflies with a quietude and grace that is organic and soulful to the core. Ok, so Wanderlust is not the record which will change the direction of modern music, hardly, it doesn't try to but it will enrich moments of your life and will stay with you. Small moments like lying in bed with a loved one, battling the daily commute, going on a road trip escape or watching the sun come up. This is music built to last.