“Rhyme” is the second solo album from Marty Willson-Piper, guitarist for the Australian band The Church. Like “Art Attack,” his first solo album, “Rhyme” is full of very melodic, personal songs which document Marty’s international vacations.

“Rhyme” is released by Ryko, a company which seems to cater more to certain musical tastes (Classical, New Age, World Music, etc.) rather than to hit-oriented material.

“Rhyme” obviously isn’t intended for the charts; it’s a very slow, atmospheric study of various instruments and voices.

This certainly is not a party album; it is anything but rowdy, and is a definite departure from typical Church material. Willson-Piper seems preoccupied with creating hypnotizing effects and melodies from a variety of instruments such as maraccas, bagpipes, cellos, violins, and accordions. He even experiments with spoken conversation and a pocket watch.

“Rhyme” is a really well-made album. If you are a fan of this type of music, you will probably enjoy it. If you aren’t, you will probably be very bored.

The songs all seem to be set in pretty much the same mood, but each one is very distinct. The song “Idiots” uses something called a “Viking chorus” to produce a creepy Phantom-of-the-Opera-goes-cabaret dirge.

“Time is Imaginary” starts off with Willson-Piper relating a dream he once had about a king, and then the music comes up, consisting only of an acoustic guitar and a cello.

The liner notes tell where and when each song was written. His first album was written mostly in Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand, and the songs on “Rhyme” were written in Paris, London, and America.

Each song is an obvious experimentation with the ethnic sounds and moods of the location in which it was written. What that means is that “Rhyme” is a diversified and unique album.

Again, this album isn’t for everyone. None of it will ever show up on MTV.

So, if you’re looking for something to dance to, stay away. If you’re a Church fan or if you’re looking for something unique and relaxing, give “Rhyme” a try.