Avant-folk minimalists
State River Widening teamed multi-instrumentalists Keiron Phelan and
David Sheppard, the latter also noted for his work with the Wisdom of Harry and
Ellis Island Sound. Percussionist Jon Steele completed the group, which issued its debut single, "Unsung Couples," in late 1998; the follow-up, "Your Chance Ended There," further honed their distinctive fusion of acoustic instrumentation and analogue technology, an approach culminating with the late 1999 release of
State River Widening's self-titled LP. ~ Jason Ankeny