This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Mitch Dorge is, of course, best known as the drummer for Crash Test Dummies. But anyone who expects his new full-length As Trees Walking to be a set of Dummies-style pop — or a batch of percussion solos — could be disappointed. Though they’re more likely to be pleasantly surprised.
As Trees Walking finds Dorge wading into deeper musical waters with a six-song set dominated by piano-based instrumentals that straddle the border between New Age, neo-classical and ambient electronica. The nine-minute title cut is a graceful yet sinister electro-waltz; Cry is a tone poem that swells from lonely minimalism to sorrowful strings; the aquatic and claustrophobic Ketamine could be the squelchy soundtrack to a Das Boot sequel; and the brooding, 14-minute epic I’ll Always Love You boasts a ghostly female vocal and groaning cello that sit halfway between Björk and David Lynch. From start to finish, As Trees Walking is an album that gives a whole new meaning to the term classic rock.
