It's all in the family -- the success of The Heavy Circles, that is. The legendary singer/songwriter Paul Simon probably didn't see a musical collaboration between his current wife Edie Brickell and first son Harper coming, but it came (and saw and conquered).

An afternoon spent enjoying an impromptu jam fest between the two artists (both previously part of other projects) started out as just that, a spontaneous day of comparing and contrasting musical styles that snowballed into a successful compilation.

The Simon-linked duo that is The Heavy Circles combines Brickell's knack for both penning and resonating beautiful prose and Simon junior's flair for both making and mixing guitar flourishes, culminating with the 2008 release of their self-titled debut.

Tinged with an electronic touch, the record ranges in style from rockabilly to psychedelic rock, and looks to the relatives of other notable artists for support (like Sean Lennon and Martha Wainwright) on strings, horns and those sparkling ivories. The result is an album jam-packed with a wide variety of sound, touching on everything from Middle Eastern (in ambient numbers like Henri ) to reggae (as is heard in Need a Friend ).

Simon delivers layered guitar lines that do a wicked balancing act with Brickell's ethereal lyrics, which can be heard in the opening and closing tracks of the album. Both numbers incorporate plunky guitar bits in an otherwise atmospheric, spacey sound.

The album picks up with heavy drives in Better and Dynamite Child (both drummed by Matt Johnson, part of both Rufus Wainwright's and Jeff Buckley's musical entourages). The laid-back, relaxing Oh Darling brings the album to a close, and leaves listeners hoping that The Heavy Circles keep things rolling on to a second collaboration.

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