James Johnson The Butterfly Chamber

Johnson inevitably gets compared, favourably so, with ambient greats like Harold Budd and Brian Eno. This is almost inescapable given his deft touch combining traditional instruments like piano and guitar (courtesy of Christopher Short from Ma Ja Le) with gentle atmospheric electronics, much like Budd and Eno have done in the past.

'The Citadel' features Short on acoustic guitar, but is full of additional textures and treatments. It has an ethereal feel, one of the more beautiful pieces Johnson has done, which is saying something. 'Hall of Radiance' adds violin to the mix, for a somewhat sombre but very elegant number. The music throughout seems to have a distinct sense of purpose, even seriousness about it. 'Through the Resonance Field' is full of bright shimmers, like the glowing white butterfly on the inside of the CD case, though it seems a bit sad. 'Incensario' feels like ambient cavern music, with lush organic echoes reaching into the darkness. Crickets build a transition into 'Tepantitla,' a sparse piano piece with rain as a perfect backdrop. Violins appear again here.