Sydney Morning Herald

The resonances implicit in an acoustic 12-string guitar sing a unique song. Artists as diverse as Pete Seeger, Jimmy Page, Ralph Towner, Thom Yorke, David Bowie and Leo Kottke have all exploited its chiming wonder in their own ways. Here Norwegian guitarist Kim Myhr (last reviewed on these pages working with local sonic adventurer Jim Denley) creates an album of solo 12-string pieces. If that sounds potentially dry, many of the six pieces are remarkably different sound worlds that emphasize the instrument's versatility. One of Myhr's finest attributes is his courage to let the music unfold with guileless simplicity, so we focus tightly on the sound. Elsewhere he brings his devilish command of the guitar to bear. Twice he uses strumming patterns with shifting sonorities, working in a similar way to the mesmeric music of the Necks.