Memphis cd review

Memphis’ A Little Place In The Wilderness
By Jennie Friedlich

The sophomore release from Memphis, the musical duo consisting of Torquil Campbell and Chris Dumont feels like you are floating through a melodic dream. An appropriate feeling, given the album’s theme of dreams and the role they play in discovering your desires. But this album leaves you yearning to feel just a bit more.

Campbell’s resume boasts fronting the Montreal based indie pop band, Stars and performing with Broken Social Scene. It’s no surprise that A Little Place In The Wilderness echoes the sounds of his main projects, but unfortunately if falls short of the romantic intensity that can be felt on a Stars album. As a whole, the album is cohesive, yet mostly underwhelming. During the opening track, I Dreamed We Fell Apart, Campbell’s soaring vocals set high hopes for an album that ultimately doesn’t deliver. The jazzy Incredibly Drunk On Whiskey, while a catchy song, feels misplaced.

Although the album fails to draw in it’s listener, the lyrics are sensitive and relatable. A Little Place In The Wilderness is a pop record that is best listened to while hanging out on a quiet day in the park, or at night, just before you slip into a dream.