Album Details

• Artist: The Drift
• Album: Memory Drawings
• Label: Temporary Residence
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2008-09-03

Downbeat jazz with sublte dance beats create a restless groove here, as The Drift straddle the line between navel-gazing and hermetic. "Memory Drawings" may sound hung-over, but the vibe created has depth. While there may be some lulls that suggest the ponderous and abstract, the band is able to remain free of the traps it sets for itself with solid, inspired arrangements. Bassist Safa Shokrai's presence keeps the dub from plodding, the ambient from irrelevancy, and the ballads from imploding in self-importance.

"I had it And I Lost It" has a folky way about it that is meditative, as does the somber "Lands End." More groove-y are "Uncanny Valley" and "Golden Sands," which employ guitar as well as the brass to keep it funky. "Floating Truth" wraps up the seven song set (there is a bonus track on the vinyl release) with a groove and power that sums up what is hinted at on the entire set. The Drift live up to their name both in the risks the trio takes, as well as in the more meandering listless moments. Still, "Memory Drawings" brims with ideas that begin with the rhythm section, and expand outward where, despite some stumbles, the groove is never lost.

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