The Romance of Train Travel

March of the Timeshifters is the seventh album by Sensitive Chaos, the decade-long instrumental electronic music project of Jim Combs.

The album continues collaborations with musicians and co-writers Paul Vnuk, Jr. (Synthesizers, Drums, & Vocals), Tony Gerber (Guitar & EWI), Brian Good (Soprano Sax & EWI), and Christian Birk (Modular Synthesizer), all who have contributed to many prior Sensitive Chaos tracks, and adds new members Josie Quick (Violin & Electric Violin) and Greg Hurley (Guitar & Bass).

The first song on the CD, the title track “March of the Timeshifters,” features synth washes and Berlin-School electronic sequences by Combs, who is then joined by Quick’s violin and building orchestrations until the big bang, when echoing violins and orchestra reprises finish with a music box serenade.

“Gypsy Moth Dance,” the world music-influenced second track on the album, begins with plucked arpeggios and ambient synths until Quick’s gypsy-inspired violin and an understated dance beat draw pick up the pace for Combs’ electric piano melodies. The second half of the song features a soaring violin solo by Quick with Vnuk’s drums dancing underneath.

Good’s soprano sax is the featured soloist on the jazz-tinged “The Romance of Train Travel.” A quiet ambient pastoral soundscape sets the scene for violin and synth moving train impressions, as Hurley’s guitar propels the piece forward.

“Cream and Variation” is a small chamber piece that starts with Combs’ simple piano figure and bass that transforms over time in a Baroque feel, and is layered with Gerber’s EWI, Vnuk’s vocalizations, and Quick’s violin providing counterpoint.

“The Heliosphere is a Harsh Mistress” and “Voyager Surfs the Interstellar Seas” are dedicated to the two Voyager satellites and their mission beyond our solar system. On “Heliosphere,” Combs and Quick create an ambient music bed for Good’s EWI melody and Vnuk’s drums and synths, while Birk’s modular synth evokes stars and gamma rays.

On “Voyager,” Hurley’s space guitar blends with Combs’ soundscapes and Quick’s ambient violin imagines that place at the edge of the solar system and bids bon voyage as Good’s EWI solo, Vnuk’s drums, and Hurley’s bass celebrate the escape into deep space.

A core component of Sensitive Chaos compositions is improvisation, and many of the songs heard on the albums have their genesis in live performances or from live recordings. This unique approach to the music has endeared audiences and radio programmers around the world, with airplay across the U.S., Europe, and the U.K., including many "Best Of" nods over the years.

Sensitive Chaos has performed nearly 100 shows including the City Skies Festival, Different Skies Festival, electro-music Festival, and Nophest.