A surprising release from Folkways showcasing the "sound environment" of the plains of Tuva and Sakha, in Northern Mongolia and Southern Siberia. A team of ethnomusicologists trekked through the plains with members of Huun Huur Tu, among others, and recorded both the techniques of various styles of song and instruments, but also the ambient landscape noises, such as animals and general wind, etc. The highlights and surprises on the album are intertwined and many. A member of Huun Huur Tu at one point demonstrates the borbangnadyr technique of imitating a stream and using the stream itself to amplify the overtones of song. Also, wonderful demonstrations of a couple forms of xoomei emerge, most notably with the aid of a cave's reverberation on track 15. For someone even mildly acquainted with the styles of music native to Central Asia, this would be a worthwhile endeavor. For armchair (or professional, for that matter) ethnomusicologists, it is nearly a dream come true. ~ Adam Greenberg