Charlie Schmidt, who worked occasionally with John Fahey, is a "primitive" guitarist of the older generation who debuted only in 2005 with Xanthe Terra (Strange Attractors, 2005). A 13-part soundtrack to an imaginary walk on Mars, it works out as a parade of warm and heartfelt vignettes, from the bluesy Salem Journeys to the relaxed country-ish Hyattsville Anti-Inertia Dance, from the plain Athabasca Valles Blues to the (finally) lively Firebird (the most Leo Kottke-esque of the series), from the solemn Kanaranzi Waltz to the sleepy Chillum Heights Blues, from the touching, Spanish-tinged For Olivia to the folkish Slavic Mountain. As far as journeys go, this is a bit uneventful. The guitar keeps telling the same story in the same tone. In other words, the material is a bit too static and repetitive. Schmidt is a better guitarist than composer. It is telling that the most charming piece on the album is a Fahey composition, Dance of the Inhabitants of the Palace of King Philip XIV of Spain.