For some reason this album, with its varied approaches to music doesn’t sound too scattered. And it’s not due to the cohesive idea that runs throughout the disc. And no, I won’t explain it what that is specifically. Listeners need to experience it as a whole. Just as the concept is basically easy to grasp, a number of the lyrical creations are as well. Cody ChesnuTT falls into this category, taking a rather straight-ahead look at what could have been a rather abstract creation. Not to take away from ChesnuTT, seeing as he’s probably the most generally marketable individual on here, but there are more creative offerings in numerous different styles. Obviously, the Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt, formerly of Soft Machine, collaboration stands out. Considering that Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols guests on the track as well, this could have had more teeth (yes, that is a Soft Machine reference). Instead the trio offers something slight and closer to what listeners would perceive as an offering by just Eno. More personal, in a familial way, the Rufus Wainwright track, “First Born,” comes out of the accidental death of a relative. The Wainwright track has a tempo that feels as if it might just stop on the next beat and is easily the most effortless success on the album. But, unless 4AD is your new favorite label or one of these musicians is your hero, you can probably pass on the disc. Maybe you’ll need it for the end times, though. Who knows?