Time Without Consequence  (Audio CD) 
by Alexi Murdoch

It's a heck of a start to a career. Before he had released any material in the States, Alexi Murdoch was championed by KCRW's influential tastemaker Nic Harcourt. (Murdoch moved to LA in the late 1990s.) This led to the release of the Four Songs EP, which led to appearances in Garden State and on the The O.C.. Even arranger Van Dyke Parks (Tim Buckley, Harry Nilsson) became a fan, praising his "imaginative chords." Fortunately, Murdoch's self-produced full-length lives up to that early promise. The Nick Drake-inspired "Breathe" and "Orange Sky" are likely to be familiar to most listeners. Another standout is "Home," which shakes up his folky formula with feedback and trip-hop beats. If Time Without Consequence has a fault, it's simply that Murdoch sounds remarkably like fellow Drake devotee José González (right down to his spare finger-picking style). One singer-songwriter is from Scotland (by way of England and Greece), the other from Sweden (by way of Argentina), so it seems unlikely that either musician influenced the other. Plus, great minds do think alike. In any case, Murdoch has fashioned a satisfying debut; the true test will be to follow up with an album that reveals a more distinct personal identity. --Kathleen C. Fennessy