With roots in both traditional Chinese music and modern electronica, "Afterquake" engages in the same sort of cross-genre cherry-picking that made A.R. Rahman and M.I.A.'s Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack so compelling. The album is the work of American folk singer Abigail Washburn and Chinese electronica producer Dave Liang. Together, Washburn and Liang craft unexpected, intricate and poignant folk/electronic fusions, mixing traditional music with children's choruses, synthetic underscores and a host of ambient noises — including the sounds of an actual village reconstruction in the Sichuan province. The evocative "Song for Mama," for instance, features the voice of a Sichuan boy singing to his mother, while "Sala," perhaps the most accessible song on "Afterquake," finds Washburn singing a simple, almost childlike Chinese melody against a backdrop of flickering synth.