"I consider my albums to be soundtracks for themselves," Chicago musician Saurab Bhargava says of the sounds on his recent self-released album, "Chromatique," and that's an apt description for his cinematic orchestral pop. A classically trained pianist who's also mastered guitar and bass and played in a variety of bands ranging from punk to blues, the Duke University grad is now devoted to a uniquely dreamy style that has echoes of indie-rock outfits such as Slint and Rachel's, as well as the more song-oriented ork-pop of the ever-influential Cardinal.

Recorded at the local Raxtrax studio, produced by Dave Suycott (Stabbing Westward, Verbow) and featuring the contributions of a number of other local musicians on drums, strings and horns, "Chromatique" is as impressive and well-executed a sonic vision as this column has ever received, and it will be fascinating to see if Bhargava can develop a way to present his music live. Meanwhile, you can keep up with his doings and sample his sounds on the www.saurabbhargava.com.