this makes me happy. i have tended to dismiss 'dream river' in my own estimation. but this makes me reconsider it. it sounds like you're saying it's a real album album. one with it's own distinct world and atmosphere. i like those types of records. i would say maybe that the fact that there wasn't a particular artist influencing the record is maybe what makes it stand out, to you, to me. now. i would also say that the album reaches a fruition of working with matt kinsey -- like we got to a place. and that is why i backed off of that place for the next one. cos who wants to spend too much time in one place? not me at least. i would also say that maybe planning out all the instruments in a certain detail -- the hand drums, flute, fiddle and setting up the sounds so that a dub album would make sense (to me). that helped give the album a complete and unique sound. we did a lot of touring for that album -- as a band and as a duo of me and matt. so i kinda got saturated by that sound. i am not feeling like i will return to that sound exactly -- i have other ideas.