Once in a while an album comes along that initially leaves one wondering what to make of it. I Have Never Told You is one of those singular albums.  Indeed, the music at first blush seems like a mishmash, but there is method in the madness - and humour too with the last track called "Furry Lisa" being a brief version of the classical music piece "Fur Elise". 
The mood on this album is often contemplative in a languorous way, and a little doleful at times. Even the more lively tracks have a kind of nonchalance that means they never quite become foot tappers. The track "The Cup of Tea" is a great example of the doleful aspect as we hear a gas stove being lit and the sound of a whistling kettle while a solemn melody is played out on piano that briefly rises to a crescendo with the boiling kettle. The listener can be caught out when the style abruptly changes, as in the following track appropriately titled "Scene Change" which bursts into a melody with what I think are hand drums and a trumpet - for some reason this brought to my mind the image of a peculiar carnival. 
Fans of synth based music will be glad to know that this album isn't all based on acoustic instrumentation. A few of the tracks contain some electronics, notably "Castle Canyon" which despite a variety of environmental sounds such as birdsong and footsteps also has a slowly building drone that hits a peak with an excited violin before finally fading off into nothing. 
It has taken me several listens of I Have Never Told You to have some appreciation for its shy charm and enigmatic ways. It's the kind of music that would suit a lazy Sunday afternoon reverie.
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"I HAVE NEVER TOLD YOU"
Erik Ian Walker and Marit Brook-Kothlow follow an interesting path through the combination of Jazz with Meditative Music, Ambient, and traits of Classical and Experimental. Each one of the themes, although continuing with the general format, gets near one of the styles mentioned before. In certain cases, it is easy to guess the origin of a given musical element, but in others it turns out to be very difficult to imagine it. 
VIRGINIA TAMAYO
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*****I am totally in love with your work!!! Finally, a progressive musician with an appreciation for the value of silence in a body of music; gives it a chance to breathe; and the listener an opportunity to bring their own interpretations to the piece... outstanding, and inspirational!!
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