Innerstanding is
Dhani Harrison's second album, arriving six years after his debut. Between those two records, he worked with his partner
Paul Hicks on a variety of scores, honing their abilities at sculpting sonic soundscapes. Their skills are evident throughout
Innerstanding, an ever-shifting, meditative record occupying a space somewhere between close listening and ambience. Despite its reliance on mood, this is not instrumental music, nor is it all hushed. Often,
Innerstanding lurches forward on shards of noise, distorted voices, and gnarled guitar, including some contributions from
Blur's
Graham Coxon on "New Religion."
Harrison doesn't assault the listener so much as provoke, keeping them off guard enough to allow the meditations and soul-searching of his album to seep into the subconscious. If
Innerstanding favors aural texture to melodic immediacy, there's intrigue in how its electronic pulse intermingles with shimmering mantras, resulting in a record that reveals its mysteries over time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine