Tim Gerwing's second solo album is presumably inspired by the so-called butterfly effect whereby the flapping of a butterfly's wings could impact the weather thousands of miles away. The album is primarily ambient with acoustic and electronic instrumentation; sometimes it's a little experimental, and in the last few tracks it becomes more varied in style. Joining Tim on The Butterfly Effect are several guest musicians and vocalists. Getting this sixty five minute work underway is the title track "the butterfly effect", one of a couple of pieces that incorporate semi-sung narration. This only takes up the first minute or so, all the while the music is building up with a cloudy drone and semi-melodic shooting refrains played on what I think is some kind of treated string instrument. As the piece progresses more effects are brought in to create a searing atmosphere before it fades out slowly like a weird creature passing by. The second track "effect02 [luminescent wing]" may be the first of a few homages to Vangelis, in this case, the underrated Soil Festivities. Sequencing flies around while synth pads, clustered pointy notes, occasional booms in the background and hi-hat smashing sounds add to the impression of examining small scale events. In the next track "effect04 [cumulonimbus 38'16 N 140'52E]" we are then sonically taken to large scale realms as fat, reverbing, almost vocal, sounds make it easy to imagine travelling through layers of cloud while higher pitched whistling adds a sense of unseen atmospheric goings on. Things continue in a fairly ambient manner until the eighth track (out of twelve) when there are quite distinct changes in style from one track to the next. In "effect07 [working with you]" we again get semi-sung narration accompanied by background vocal "aaaahs". Towards the end the narration gives way to strange meditational vocalising. Then in the following track it's mainly solo piano in a sometimes overwrought mood. There's much to like about The Butterfly Effect, though the mishmash and choice of styles over the last few tracks can be jarring - and is certainly unexpected. Like some other ambient works this one aims more at the mind than the emotions; on the whole it manages to do that well.