All songs written*, performed, produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jim Combs at Common Sound Studio from December 2005 – December 2008 except Bazaar Behavior written by Jim Combs, Otso Pakarinen, and Brian Good.
Otso and Brian’s parts were recorded at their respective studios in March and April, 2008.
*Emerging Transparency composed October 15-17, 2007 at Different Skies 2007 and original live recording entitled Sensitive Pal Chaos was released on Different Skies Back To The Cliff CD.
Photos used by kind permission of Andrew Lee – http://www.flickr.com/focusman5
Awards: #65 May 2009 ZMR Top 100 Airplay, #52 April 2009 ZMR Top 100 Airplay, #50 Debut March 2009 ZMR Top 100 Airplay.
Airplay
Emerging Transparency
KSBR 88.5FM The Morning Breeze show in Black Hawk, CO and Mission Viejo, CA played “Emerging Transparency” on May 28, 2023 and May 27, 2023, “Fifty Light Years From Home” on March 22, 2020, “Erase Yourself” & “Emerging Transparency” on September 2, 2012, June 3, 2012, May 13, 2012 and May 5, 2012, “Fifty Light Years from Home” and “Emerging Transparency” on April 29, 2012 and “Erase Yourself” on February 4, 2012.
Hypnagogue Podcast featured “Bazaar Behavior” on their June 9, 2021 Episode 322, “Tanzen Filter” in the March 20, 2014 podcast and “Fifty Light Years From Home” on their inaugural podcast on June 3, 2009.
WMSE 91.7FM’s Instrumental Saturdays with Mary Bartlein show in Milwaukee, WI played “Emerging Transparency” on March 30, 2019, “Fifty Light Years From Home” on June 21, 2014, “Emerging Transparency” on February 1, 2014, “Emerging Transparency (Radio Edit) on November 2, 2013, “Fifty Light Years from Home” on October 19, 2013 and October 5, 2013, “Emerging Transparency” on August 31, 2013, “Fifty Light Years from Home” on June 22, 2013, “Bazaar Behavior” on May 18, 2013.
WYSO 91.3FM Alpha Rhythms show in Yellow Springs, OH played “Fifty Light Years From Home” on July 22, 2018, “Fifty Light Years from Home” on July 16, 2017, “Fifty Light Years From Home” on January 13, 2013, “Erase Yourself” on November 4, 2012, and “Emerging Transparency” on October 7, 2012.
WMUH 91.7FM Thought Radio radio show in Allentown, Pennsylvania played “Fifty Light Years from Home” on April 11, 2015.
HFM Radio 102.3FM Night Hawke show in Market Harborough, South Leicestershire and North Northamptonshire, UK played “Emerging Transparency” on April 29, 2017 and January 3, 2015, “Bazaar Behavior” on July 21/22, 2012, “Luck of the Draw” on January 28/29, 2012.
Space Station Soma FM (spaced out ambient and midtempo electronica format)- Emerging Transparency constantly played from July 25, 2009 through present.
StillStream.com (ambient format)- Sensitive Chaos is artist of the month for April 2010. Has Emerging Transparency in constant rotation since February 14, 2009. The Mystic Music show lists the album at #15 for September 2013.
Hearts of Space (broadcast on over 200 NPR stations and Sirius/XM Radio)- Played “Fifty Light Years From Home” as the first song on the first program for 2010 (PGM 897 “Perigee”) on January 1.
Black Rock FM (Soma FM’s specialty station for Burning Man) has “Emerging Transparency” in rotation for 2011 Burning Man.
Radio Despi 107.1 FM in Barcelona, Spain, La Otra Orilla show, January 24, 2011 plays “Emerging Transparency”, April 13, 2009 plays “Fifty Light Years From Home”, and February 9, 2009 plays “Emerging Transparency.”
KKUP 91.5 FM Mystic Music (new age, ambient, space, organ), Cupertino, CA, selected Emerging Transparency as #28 Top Visionary Music for 2009 and played “Emerging Transparency” on their Visionary Marathon on January 1-3, 2010 and March 20, 2009, “Tanzen Filter” on April 10, 2009 and March 13, 2009 and “Fifty Light Years From Home (radio edit)” on March 6, 2009. Emerging Transparency CD selected #11 on Mystic Music Top 20 for March 2009.
WRSU FM in New Brunswick, NJ, played “Emerging Transparency” on June 2, 2009 and May 5, 2009, and added the Sensitive Chaos Emerging Transparency CD as a CMJ RPM addon May 3, 2009 and it is now in RPM rotation.
Echoes, the daily two-hour music soundscape, distributed by Public Radio International and broadcast on 130 radio stations from Maine to California- Emerging Transparency title track “Emerging Transparency” on Echoes Program 0911A – Friday, May 29, 2009 and Monday, March 16, 2009, 0908A – Friday, May 1, 2009 and Monday, February 23rd, and 0906A – Monday, February 9th.
WWSP 90 FM Ambient Aether/Space Continuum (new age, ambient, smooth jazz, world music, college), Stevens Point, WI, played “Emerging Transparency (radio edit)” on May 24, 2009, “Fifty Light Years From Home (radio edit)” on May 17, 2009, “Luck Of The Draw” on May 10, 2009 and March 8, 2009, “Bazaar Behavior” on April 26, 2009, “Fifty Light Years From Home” on April 12, 2009 and March 29, 2009, played “Emerging Transparency” on April 5, 2009, “Erase Yourself” on March 15, 2009, and “Tanzen Filter” on March 1, 2009. The Album is #1 for April and March 2009, #7 for May 2009.
WFIT 89.5 FM Future Echoes show, Palm Bay, FL, played “Emerging Transparency” on May 10, 2009, “Fifty Light Years From Home” on May 3, 2009, “Bazaar Behavior” on April 26, 2009, and “Erase Yourself” on April 12, 2009.
WBGU 88.1FM in Bowling Green, OH reported the Sensitive Chaos Emerging Transparency CD as a CMJ RPM add on May 3, 2009 and it is now an RPM “Current” in rotation.
WDBX 91.1 FM in Carbondale, IL, played “Emerging Transparency” and “Fifty Light Years From Home” on the May 3, 2009 Music From Beyond the Lakes show. #2 on WDBX 91.1FM’s Music from Beyond the Lakes Top 20 for May 2009.
KRSC 91.3 FM Spectral Voyages show, in Tulsa, OK played “Fifty Light Years From Home” on their April 26, 2009 show. #11 on KRSC Spectral Voyages Top 20 for April.
WVKR-FM, Poughkeepsie, NY, Secret Music, April 12, 2009, features “Luck Of The Draw”, and April 5, 2009, features “Erase Yourself”. #8 on WVKR FM’s Secret Music Top 20 for April.
WRAS 88.5 FM Beatscape Lounge show, Atlanta, GA, played “Fifty Light Years From Home” and “Bazaar Behavior” on April 29, 2009.
NPR member station WDIY 88.1 FM, Allentown and Bethlehem, PA, 93.9 FM in Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, NJ, 93.7 FM in Fogelsville and Trexlertown, and webcasting on the internet- “Emerging Transparency” played on Galactic Travels show #628, April 16, 2009, “Fifty Light Years From Home” played on Galactic Travels show #624, March 19, 2009. “Bazaar Behavior” played on Galactic Travels show #618, February 5, 2009. The Emerging Transparency CD is in Galactic Travel’s Top 20 for March 2009 and February 2009.
WXDU 88.7 FM New Frontiers (new age, ambient, smooth jazz, world music, college), Durham, NC, played “Emerging Transparency” on March 14, 2009, March 7, 2009, February 28, 2009 and “Fifty Light Years From Home” on April 11, 2009, March 21, 2009 and Februrary 14, 2009. The Album is #3 for March 2009.
WMUH 91.7 FM AM/FM Show, Allentown, PA, “Tanzen Filter” played on AM/FM show on March 21, 2009.
YLE Radio 1 – Space Junk Finnish Broadcasting Company radio station (electronic/ambient/space format)- played “Fifty Light Years From Home” on their February 15, 2009 show.
Press
SYLVAIN LUPARI, SYNTH&SEQUENCES, OCTOBER 3, 2011
Emerging Transparency is a find in the musical universe Jim Combs and Sensitive Chaos. Astride the melodious sequences of Berlin School, more particularly Tangerine Dream, the experimental rhythms of free jazz and the hatched tempos of a music navigating on the borders of Funk and Break dance, Emerging Transparency is to Jim Combs what Zoolook is to Jean Michel Jarre. A very good album to lively rhythms and catchy melodies, in a musical universe where the audacity is next to the ingenuity and solos of guitars, synths and saxophones are fastened to keys, percussions and bass as caustic as starved. In brief, it’s an album which fills our ears and holds us on guards.
This superb musical adventure begins with a synth line which undulates and winds around a somber cosmic wind from which breaths shake slow oscillations. After 3 minutes of a floating introduction, “Emerging Transparency” gets out of cosmic limbs with a beautiful sequential line, which looks strangely like the structures of Tangerine Dream on Mojave Plan, with chords zigzagging of a sinuous movement. Resonant bass notes bite this segment, whereas ringings of shimmering chords reduce the heaviness and percussions falling with strength increase the pressure. On a franc rhythm, “Emerging Transparency” progresses and falls under the spell of beautiful synth solos and wandering choirs, plunging the music of Sensitive Chaos towards a rare movement purely electronic with more conventional instruments.
“Erase Yourself” offers also an electronic structure recalling the one of Synergy on Games with a hopping rhythm, a little like the gait of a gang street. On spasmodic sequences/pulsations, synth pads and arpeggios to hybrid tones collide in a melodious transparency; “Erase Yourself” evolves with various keys and ringings which decorate a cadence well accentuated.
Simply splendid, “Fifty Light Years from Home” starts quietly with carillons which ring on the opening. They are encircled by somber synth winds which roar among these gleaming resonances. A saxophone emerges from this broth of breaths, supported by quixotic violins which give curt strikes of bows whereas, always suave, the saxophone strangles its contemplative lamentations. The tinkled arpeggios reappear. They float and resound in suspension, while that hypnotic percussions transcend this ambient universe towards a more technoïd one. Knocks of a virtual xylophone collide with strength and follow an ascending progression under a sky streaked by sinuous and heavy as well as howling and colourful synth layers, reminding again the musical universe of the Dream.
“Bazaar Behavior” transports us in a universe more free jazz than electronic with kind of tribal percussions. Percussions which ally the notes of an elastic and undulate bass, to weaved a bewitching minimalist structure which pulses in a stunning heterogeneous sound fauna. The rhythm skipping in the hands of Tablas percussions and decorated by unpredictable melodies, “Bazaar Behavior” progresses by collecting all the musical jewels on its road, including solos of xylophones and wonderful guitar solos as well as a powerful synth guitar, without forgetting the saxophone which enchants with its piercing songs, beneath scattered synth pads floating here and there.
“Luck of the Draw” awakens our dislocated dancer’s instincts with a rather funky and noisy approach. Percussions pound a curt and hatched rhythm, the keyboard spits keys which jump nervously and the synth articulates a jerky language to multiple technoïd tones. Nice synth layers float over this hatched rhythmic, which is the Rockit of Jim Combs, adding a strange depth which is to the antipode of this tempo of a Break dance kind. Layers floating again when the rhythm gets out of breath, a little as to erase the draws but waste of time we became hooked on this tempo with heterogeneous mixes.
Frenzied with keyboard keys which skip and gallop, “Tanzen Filter” offers a good rhythm where keys to multiple tones are mixing pleasantly well to abrupt percussions. The bass bites of its slow and heavy notes this rhythmic structure where keys spin, flit and draw stroboscopic musical circles. Moreover, in a middle-route there is a delicious dance of keys which hop of a dislocated way under the yoke of a rumbling bass line. A great track which still mixes the Funky and Break dance approaches; “Tanzen Filter” turns in loops, with some barer passages here and there, watered by nice guitar solos.
Shorter and makes for radio, “Emerging Transparency (Radio Edict)” goes straight to undulating and circular sequential movement à la TD. It’s a very good edit, quite as the radio version of “Fifty Light Years from Home” which is essentially concentrated on the rhythmic approach.
Emerging Transparency is an album as powerful as stunning. An album which, tracks after tracks, amazes and subjects us, so much by the rhythms, melodies and finds which abound throughout this brilliant opus where the boldness is not an obstacle to musicality. I adored this album which spreads out a astonishing musicality with a rich sound fauna where sequences, percussions and the bass shape diversified rhythms. Rhythms where Berlin School and experimental EM are wrapped by superb synth, guitars and saxophone solos, weaving a musical universe to paradoxes as delicate as mordant.
SYLVAIN LUPARI, GUTS OF DARKNESS (FRENCH), OCTOBER 3, 2011
Emerging Transparency est une trouvaille dans l’univers musical de Jim Combs et Sensitive Chaos. À cheval entre les séquences mélodieuses de la Berlin School, notamment Tangerine Dream, les rythmes expérimentaux du free jazz et les tempos hachurés d’une musique navigant aux frontières du Funk et du Break dance, Emerging Transparency est à Jim Combs ce que Zoolook est à Jean Michel Jarre. Un très bel album aux rythmes entraînants et aux mélodies accrochantes, dans un univers musical où l’audace côtoie l’ingéniosité et les solos de guitares, synthés et saxophones sont arrimés à des clés, percussions et une basse aussi mordantes que qu’affamées. Bref, un album qui nous emplit les oreilles et qui nous tient sur le qui-vive.
Cette superbe aventure musicale débute avec une ligne de synthé qui ondoie et s’entortille autour d’un sombre vent cosmique dont les souffles agitent de lentes oscillations. Après 3 minutes d’une introduction planante, “Emerging Transparency” sort des limbes cosmiques avec une belle ligne séquentielle, qui ressemble étrangement aux structures de Tangerine Dream sur Mojave Plan, avec des accords zigzagants d’un mouvement sinueux. De résonnantes notes de basse mordent ce segment, alors que des tintements d’accords carillonnés en atténuent la lourdeur et que les percussions tombant avec force en augmentent la pression. Sur un rythme franc, “Emerging Transparency” progresse et tombe sous le charme de beaux solos de synthé et des chœurs errants, plongeant la musique de Sensitive Chaos vers un rare mouvement purement électronique avec des instruments plus conventionnels.
“Erase Yourself” offre aussi une structure électronique me rappelant celle de Synergy sur Games avec un rythme sautillant, comme la démarche d’une gang de rue. Sur des séquences/pulsations spasmodiques, des nappes de synthé et des arpèges aux tonalités hybrides s’entrechoquent dans une limpidité mélodieuse, “Erase Yourself” évolue avec divers accords et tintements qui décorent une cadence assez accentuée.
Tout simplement superbe, “Fifty Light Years from Home” débute tranquillement avec des carillons qui tintent en ouverture. Ils sont encerclés de sombres vents synthétisés qui hurlent parmi ces résonances miroitantes. Un saxophone émerge de ce bouillon de souffles, appuyé de violons chimériques qui donnent de secs coups d’archets alors que, toujours suave, le saxophone égorge ses lamentations contemplatives. Les arpèges carillonnés réapparaissent. Ils flottent et résonnent en suspension, tandis que d’hypnotiques percussions transcendent cet univers ambiant vers un plus technoïde. Des coups de xylophone virtuel s’entrechoquent avec puissance et suivent une progression ascendante sous un ciel strié de sinueuses et lourdes couches de synthé hurlantes et bigarrées, rappelant encore l’univers musical du Dream.
“Bazaar Behavior” nous transporte dans un univers plus free jazz qu’électronique avec des percussions du genre tribal. Des percussions qui s’allient les accords d’une basse élastique et ondulante, pour tisser une envoûtante structure minimaliste qui pulse dans une étonnante faune sonore hétéroclite.Le rythme sautillant aux mains des percussions tablas et décoré de mélodies imprévisibles, “Bazaar Behavior” progresse en collectionnant tous les bijoux musicaux sur sa route, incluant des solos de xylophones et de superbes solos de guitare ainsi que d’une puissante guitare synthétisée, sans oublier le saxophone qui enchante de ses chants perçants, sous d’éparses nappes de synthé planant ici et là.
“Luck of the Draw” éveille nos instincts de danseur désarticulé avec une approche plutôt Funky et bruyante. Les percussions pilonnent un rythme sec et hachuré, le clavier crache des accords qui sautent nerveusement et le synthé articule un langage saccadé aux multiples tonalités technoïdes. De belles couches de synthé flottent au-dessus de cette rythmique hachurée, qui est le Rockit de Jim Combs, ajoutant une étrange profondeur qui est à l’antipode de ce tempo du genre Break Dance. Des couches flottant encore lorsque le rythme s’essouffle, un peu comme pour en effacer les traces mais peine perdue on est devenu accro à ce tempo aux mélanges hétéroclites.
Frénétique avec ses accords de clavier qui sautillent et galopent, “Tanzen Filter” offre un bon rythme où accords aux tonalités multiples se mêlent agréablement bien aux percussions secs. La basse mord de ses lentes et lourdes notes cette structure rythmique où les clés virevoltent, papillonnent et dessinent des cercles musicaux stroboscopiques. D’ailleurs, en mi-parcours il y a une savoureuse danse de clés qui sautillent d’une façon désarticulée sous le joug d’une ronflante ligne de basse. Un très beau titre qui mélange encore les approches Funky et Break dance, “Tanzen Filter” tourne en boucles, avec quelques passages plus dénudés ici et là, arrosée de quelques beaux solos de guitare.
Plus court et pour la radio, “Emerging Transparency (Radio Edit)” va droit au mouvement séquentiel ondulant et circulaire à la TD. C’est un très bon montage, tout comme la version radio de “Fifty Light Years from Home” qui est essentiellement concentrée sur l’approche rythmique.
Emerging Transparency est un album aussi puissant qu’étonnant. Un album qui, titre après titre, nous étonne et subjugue, tant par les rythmes, les mélodies et les trouvailles qui abondent tout au long de ce brillant opus où l’audace n’est pas un obstacle à la musicalité. J’ai adoré cet album qui étale une étonnante musicalité avec une riche faune sonore où séquences, percussions et basse moulent des rythmes diversifiés. Des rythmes où le Berlin School et la MÉ expérimentale sont enveloppés de superbes solos de synthé, guitares et saxophone, tissant un univers musical aux paradoxes aussi délicats que décapants.
Press
ATLANTA CREATIVE LOAFING, BEST OF 2009 AWARDS, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 ISSUE
Atlanta Creative Loafing’s Readers’ Poll awards Sensitive Chaos as runner up for “Best Local Electronic Act” one step behind category winners Judi Chicago. Critics pick in the same category was Lyonnais. This is the third Best of Award for Jim Combs of Sensitive Chaos, who won the same category in 2007, and also in 2005 as part of the electronic duo TouchXtone with Michael Thomas Roe.
MIC MELL, QRO MAGAZINE, NOPHEST CONCERT REVIEW, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009
The music itself passed the spectrum from afternoon ambient electronica to full on blaring rock ‘n’ roll at night. Each band that played had their own identity, their own image, and their own talent. There was not a dud in the bunch. Nophest is not musically genre based, and each passing hour continued to showcase electronic, rock, indie, and punk bands, all spanning the extensive and eclectic of Garcia, and the community at large. Friday night included the hard electronic and multimedia presentation of Larvae, and the experimental and lively Jungol. This Piano Plays Itself brought a lush, raw, and well arranged mix of rock and pop. Saturday was a very rock oriented, and the parking lot and stage area were jam packed for the full Renaissance regalia and steampunk sensibility of Extraordinary Contraption, and the blazing guitar and soulful vocals of Garcia’s own indie band Nerd Parade. By Sunday, the crowds were sparse, partly due to the endless rain, as well as the unrelenting hangovers. Halfway through the day, Sensitive Chaos summed up the mood perfectly, with a low-key set of electronics that massaged the brain, and soothed the heart. While the music played on, the other major event of Sunday was a large gathering of folks in the parking lot playing six degrees of Kevin Bacon, complete with notes and a map for quick reference.
JOHN SHANAHAN, HYPNAGOGUE AMBIENT MUSIC NEWS & REVIEWS, MAY 2009
Another interesting and engaging ride on Jim Combs’ blend of New Age, jazz and electronica. Best bets here: “Fifty Light Years from Home,” which starts as a languid and beautiful ballad bolstered by Brian Good’s soulful sax, and then goes all tweaky-funky and upbeat for its second half. Hit repeat to enjoy this one a few times in a row. Also: “Bazaar Behavior,” where Otso Pakarinen’s synth guitar work shreds and rends the air before giving way to more of Good’s sax as Combs lays down a loping percussive backdrop. This disk is getting a lot of airplay, and with good reason.
JEFF CLARK, STOMP AND STAMMER MAGAZINE, MAY 2009 ISSUE
A regular performer at Kavarna and a stalwart at that venue’s periodic City Skies festivals, Atlanta musician Jim Combs has established himself as key player in Atlanta’s electronic music underbelly. His second album under the Sensitive Chaos banner, Emerging Transparency, is out now, full of lengthy, dense, eerie instrumental bliss and a few selections that sound like happy-robot dance music.
DARRELL BURGAN, STILLSTREAM.COM, JANUARY 22, 2009
In short: wow. Very different from Leak, much more serious in tone and with a larger scope. I love it. It’s great to hear the diversity. All of the tracks are excellent, but the standout pieces for me were “Bazaar Behavior” and “Luck of the Draw”. Jaw dropping stuff, those two. A really stunning release, VERY well executed. More like this one!