With the plunk of a turntable needle a chorus culled from history sings, getting stuck in a scratched record groove that is overtaken by the breathy wheeze of an ancient accordion. Thus begins this through-composed, informed work from composer Christoper Campbell, collaborating with a large group of talented multi-instrumentalists. Through 12 movements, many described in the liner notes in scene descriptions or like passages from the I Ching, Campbell takes the listener on a journey that melds modern sound experimentation with traditional compositional techniques, contemporary and archaic, making reference to Western and Eastern musics and a great deal in between. The orchestration is far reaching and eclectic, integrating acoustic performance using conventional and historic instrumentats alongside electronics and sampling.

Campbell blends modern and arcane approaches from a variety of disciplines, formal and intuitive, which he co-opts and/or corrupts so that familiar sections morph into unexpected territory in elusive and surprising ways. An idle listener may find themselves lost, but attentive listening encounters a journey through a broadly encompassing sound world that will bring a sly chuckle to experienced ears. The album slips out its ideas, lulling one into complacency with a seemingly meandering interlude, then presenting a concrete passage - melodic, thematic, conceptual, rhythmic - before fading into the surroundings to again ruminate. There is a poetic sense to the works, never stuffy and certainly never predictable, paced in pensive ways that bring together an abundance of impressions, like a peaceful and oddly ornamented garden occasionally disturbed by an inquisitive bird drawing your attention. The effect is something like looking through a camera lens and changing the focus slowly from foreground to background as each image blurs and sharpens, though using geometrical axes of genre, location and era to create a three dimensional and mesmerizing continuity of sonic images.

That is the charm and the brilliance of this release, and which keeps the music interesting but never overbearing. Campbell achieves this with both a broad palette of musical references, and with distinctive timbres through microphone techniques and subtle studio tricks. There is a great deal of character to each passage, at times overwhelming with a rush of rich dynamic, at times retreating to regroup for the next passage. 31 people are credited as participants without noting their respective instruments; Campbell explains that many of them played so many parts that it was unwieldy to list them all, which is not difficult to believe. He does say that the creation of this album was a great deal of fun, and from the results there can be no doubt of that, garnering a fascinating, deceptively rich, and compellingly intelligent release.