At the turn of the 20th century, China underwent a remarkable transformation. A dynastic system that had governed the country for over two thousand years was crumbling, and uncertainty loomed. But while most of the country clung to the remnants of the past, Shanghai fixed its gaze firmly on the future. Story of a City, the second full length album from The Shanghai Restoration Project, derives its inspiration from the monumental events that took place during this era. Like its predecessor, Story of a City does not restrict itself to any particular genre, drawing instead from an array of musical styles that have come to define the Shanghai Restoration Project sound. This time around, producer Dave Liang builds upon his signature hip-hop / electronica blend by bringing in new influences ranging from country to rap to choral music. Each track on the project is unique in flavor but remains part of a cohesive fabric, woven together by traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu, pipa, and the dizi. To enhance the listener's journey, many songs contain authentic street sounds recorded during one of Liang's recent visits to Shanghai. Structured like a book, Story of a City opens with "Author's Note," a collection of meditative fragments held together by a lone note strummed on a zither. After a brief welcome from the hymnal-like "Preface," the listener is led through nine chapters, each based upon a different theme of Shanghai's transformation. The rising nationalist sentiment ("Voices"), the fall of the emperor ("Last Night of the Dynasty"), the intellectual revival ("Movement"), the struggle for power ("Love and Warlords"), the entrepreneurial ("Touchdown") and architectural boom ("Pace of Light"), the influx of refugees ("Call Me Home"), and the uneasy solidarity that tied everything together ("Divided We Stand") all played a role in the city's coming of age. The final chapter, "Last Morning," pays tribute to the thousands of men and women who passed away as this history was being written. The project momentarily reflects upon these various quests in "Afterword" before giving way to "Notes," a collection of synthesized notes extracted from an earlier chapter. The pensive "Bibliography" references a previously released Shanghai Restoration Project track entitled "MCMXVII," which provided the initial inspiration for the storybook concept. Finally the album concludes with "Acknowledgements," a piano erhu dedication to Liang's late grandparents. Story of a City features singers and musicians who have worked with talents such as Moby, Kanye West, Wynton Marsalis, Erykah Badu, and Cirque du Soleil. It is the first album to be released under Liang's new partnership with the Independent Label Group, a division of Warner Music.