Everybody knows someone whose beginnings bear absolutely no resemblance to who they are today. In my case, there's Maria, who was well on her way to getting her doctorate in some highly technical science; today she's an expert on European security issues in Washington DC. Dr. Didg's a fine example, as well. In college, he taught himself how to play the didgeridoo while studying physics (rumor has it he would take the didgeridoo into the lab with him). He jetted off to Oxford to get his PhD in Physics, after which he turned to the glamorous life of digeridoo performances on the streets of London. Who'd have thought?

For those of you not familiar with the native Australian instrument, a digeridoo is a long, hollow pipe through which sound is produced by the musician's vibrating lips and embouchure. (Look it up.) The sound is maintained and shaped through 'circular breathing' whereby the musician exhales while simultaneously inhaling, creating a seamless sound. I share this with you because few realize that it's not as easy as Dr. Didg makes it look.

Didg uses the didgeridoo to pulse through the tracks on Serotonality. The flute, organs, and guitars carry the main melody and keep the pieces interesting. Most of these tracks are recordings of live performances; Didg likes to use "live sampling" to manipulate songs in front of an audience. For instance, while the didgeridoo sample continues in an unending loop, Didg embellishes and complicates the musical line above it while the bass guitar and didgeridoo give the sound its foundation.

Most of the tracks on Serotonality feature standard funk percussion and jazzy, bluesy surrounding sounds. But the extended mixes at the end of the record are wonderfully trippy and techno manipulations of singles from the album. These remixes showcase the truly otherworldly qualities of the didgeridoo. Unfortunately, the rest of the record is more than just a little repetitive; while there are some musically amazing moments, they are few and far between. But that's the risk of releasing a 45- minute- long jam session.

So when you pop this disc in as background music at your next cocktail party, you'd better make sure you invite interesting guests, because while this music may add to an already- hip atmosphere, it certainly isn't interesting enough to establish one on its own.

-Aparna Mohan