Jet Black Crayon, the instrumental trio led by
Tommy Guerrero, turned to the help and collaboration of indie filmmakers when crafting their full-length record
In the Interim, a beautiful, lush album that captures the uneasiness of
Brian Eno and the sweet melancholy of
Tortoise while still projecting their own dusky energy. The filmmakers, in turn, whose work is featured on the included DVD, create videos -- most of which play on themes of skateboarding or dissent -- to accompany the songs, which, although they are (purposefully) crude, help to provide a fuller sensory experience. What truly stands out, however, is the music, which is both introspective and engaging, forward-thinking and ruminative, pulsing along at an easy, measured pace. The mood is defined almost instantly: "Memory Lost," which opens the album, is a simple, muted song -- one that only momentarily saddens -- minor harmonies playing against electronic percussion, while "8 Bad Years" strikes a noticeable contrast, darker and heavier, more urgent. It's insistent but reserved, full of that same kind of bittersweetness that tinges the best love songs, aware of the good and bad realities of life.
In the Interim is about creating atmosphere, setting a tone, and its successful realization -- done almost solely without vocals, which makes the exception, "My Fair Romans," with severe spoken word from San Francisco band
Enablers' Pete Simonelli, that more affecting ("The living build their walls and their stories to quantum detail, but only the perished truly survive") -- sets the album in that dim-lit space where dust and dream collide, a gorgeous, grey-clouded paragon of reflection and resolve that promises to stay in the air long after the closing notes have dissolved into the harsh glare of midday. ~ Marisa Brown