It can long be debated what software maker Ubisoft expected when it hired Amon Tobin to soundtrack the Tom Clancy video game Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory, but surely it never predicted getting, along with the deal, a ragtag lineup of desperate musicians that spanned three continents and included the composer of one of time's strangest cult films, the surrealist 1971 Mexican fantasy El Topo. Tobin, long a fan of vintage soundtracks himself, had evidently wanted to expand his comfort zone after a series of increasingly similar (but excellent) LPs recorded for Ninja Tune. When he got the gig for Chaos Theory, he promptly began collecting a live band (to sample), which eventually absorbed -- in true Dirty Dozen form -- a reclusive Mexican composer named Nacho Mendez (who anchors the rhythm section with his earthy bass), Massimo and Umberto Modugno, a pair of feuding Italian brothers who work magic with the Hammond and Mellotron, and a Japanese flutist named Eiji Myake (among others). Despite the kudos for originality, however, Chaos Theory doesn't separate itself from Tobin's previous work -- although, of course, soundtracks aren't intended to stand out but only to convey a cinematic mood with music. Much of the record is a murky bath of oppressive breakbeats and eerie effects, a cauldron of atmosphere that most of the musicians aren't able to escape from with personalities intact. Tobin occasionally rescues the feel of a collective under his baton, on the nocturnal nightmare "Kokubo Sosho Stealth" and a pummeling opener, "The Lighthouse." As the accompaniment to game play, Chaos Theory is a standout in its field; just don't expect it to be as memorable as the typical Amon Tobin effort. [A DVD audio version of the album appeared in 2005.] John Bush.

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