OK. I've seen the Black Water a bunch of times; I've played with them once (in Redshift). When I heard from the boys that they were recording a disc, I was anxious to get one. Their live shows are very atmospheric and moody, with loads of textural guitar work layed over throbbing rhythms. Of course having high tech equipment doesn't hurt, but these guys aren't using their gear as a crutch. Being a guitarist, I can respect the application of guitar synth and desolate effects patches on the rhythms.

Anyway, the highlights of the disc for me are, "sun called her", "opus:tongue", "cliffhanger", and "gutterworm". These were the songs that I always loved live, and now hearing them on disc brings back the live experience. This is amazing for me, because I hardly ever remember songs by bands, unless its the Beatles or something.

The songs are carefully crafted, often layered with interesting special effects; of course the coolest thing to me is the guitar synth that singer/guitarist Shaun Hamontree uses. It blends in so perfectly it feels natural to listen to. A piano here or some strings there; I need one of those.

Ok. So buy the disc. Its perfect to listen to while working on web stuff....it's nearly a mind expanding experience. If you've ever seen these guys live, you won't be disappointed.