10 tracks. Running time 62:19 Another new artist to me is cyberCHUMP – the duo Mark G.E and Jim Skeel. They describe Sankhara as a collection of tone poems, and aural sculpture; and indeed it is. To achieve their sound a lot of sources are used from treated guitars and keyboards to Uilleann pipes and digeridoo, plus a voice. It's a rather abstract work and sonically clever because often the sources aren't obvious to the listener - even the voice is used very subtly. The overall feel of the album is set in the first track “Anticipation (Something Out There)”. Humming drones create a backdrop over which resonant flutey refrains add to the pensive atmosphere. A variety of washes and almost melodic sounds fill out the soundfield. An exemplar of the cyberCHUMP sound can be found on the longest track “Lay Your Head”. Warm tones like embers from a fire form a subtly shifting background in a way reminiscent of an Exuviae track called “Silencia”. Against this plucked guitar, gentle tinkles that echo off to the distance, and bass notes all go to create a slightly spooky yet calming mood. Most of the time the mood just about stays on the vaguely unsettling side of things. The album rarely becomes dark per se, instead it tends to hint and look toward those aspects rather than forges ahead to explore them. What also works for me is how a mystery is hidden by the music, indeed the piece “Tremor” with its ghostly teasing melody, brief use of voice and rhythm, and spooky effects hints at all kinds of things without revealing them. Sankhara is a pleasing and intriguing work from an artist I'll be looking out for in the future. It should have plenty of appeal to those who like amorphous ambience with little in the way rhythmic structures.