Dave Kulju is a multi-instrumentalist hailing from the United States and is a member of the New England band Electrum. Notes in the Margin is Kulju's second solo album and is the follow up to Abstract Expression. This is the first I have heard of Kulju and listening to Notes in the Margin was a pleasant surprise indeed. Kulju is a talented musician playing a variety of instruments including electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, guitar synthesizer, sound fx and programming. Frank Basile adds his expertise on the drumkit and Annie Oya provides guest vocals on "A Poet's Talespin". Ian Cameron adds violin on "Know Again". Kulju began working on Notes In The Margin in December, 2007 with the final product finally released this year. The time was well spent as Kulju exhibits a tremendous attention to detail throughout the album's nine tracks. His guitar playing is top notch and clearly emanates from the Dave Gilmour school of guitarists and I mean that as a compliment. While Kulju can play at a faster pace he chooses a more refined approach with languid lead lines that drip with emotion. His guitar rhythms and dynamic lead work give these compositions plenty of texture adding layers to an already rich sound. The music on Notes in the Margin is clearly entrenched in progressive rock in the vein of bands like Pink Floyd and Rush. While his guitar playing is a highlight throughout this CD one cannot overlook his use of keyboards which flesh out the sound rather nicely and are never over bearing.