CD Review: The Drift’s Memory Drawings

By Julia Cooper

As the summer solstice fast approaches and seasonal wanderlust fuels the itch to hit the highway, so does the need for a chilled-out soundtrack to accompany exploratory road trip wandering. To that end, and apropos of their moniker, San Francisco’s the Drift have crafted the perfect vehicle for both relaxation and rumination while meandering along long and winding roads on their second full-length, Memory Drawings. (more >>)

The four-piece leans toward jazz improvisation with a rock bent, akin to Tortoise, fused with post-rock deconstruction and build -- not unlike Temporary Residence labelmates MONO. Such an amalgamation of free-form music is particularly conducive to travels because of the way instruments can roam as freely as they do on the album’s seven tracks, which come across more like epic movements than offerings subject to a platform as short-sighted as radio.

The musicians fluidly weave through songs that may kick off in one groove, only before descending into cyclical troughs and build back up again to peaks. With no words to muddle up the mix, song titles such as “Lands End” and “Smoke Falls” meld with the music’s meditative ambiance to convey points of their own.

Guitarist/keyboardist Danny Grody, who’s also in Tarantel, provides striking ambient soundscapes, whether he’s calling up a thick layer of feedback as he does on “Uncanny Valley” -- which could be the theme for a James Bond film turned horror flick -- or a sea of underwater tremolo as on the spare “Golden Sands.” Drummer Rich Douthit works both delicate jazz splashes of cymbals and driving hip-hop style beats to keep the album and the listener rolling.

But what really shines is bass and brass. Trumpeter Jeff Jacobs demonstrates both regality and a carefree spirit with his ear-catching touches of horn, while Safa Shokrai’s chocolate jazz thumps and upright bass grooves hearken back to classic dub tracks that round out the sound with some down-to-earth soul.

More than anything, the tight musicianship and instrumental nuance ruling this intricate work spotlight new musical pathways to discover upon each listen, which makes Memory Drawings a worthy investment for fans who like to explore complex art as much as they do foreign lands.