Vivid Low Sky

David Koslowski, a multi-instrumentalist whose primary focus remains guitar, developed Vivid Low Sky as his quasi-solo outlet. While active in the Chapel Hill, NC new wave ensemble Gerty and handling vocals plus guitar in the punk band Liquor Bike, he conceived the project’s instrumental rock by improvising melodies over silent television images. The 2000 debut album Music for Movies Unmade drew contributions from associates in other groups—Shirle Hale of Gerty, Tom Moore from Plow, Miyuki Furtado from Airport '77, and J. Robbins from Jawbox and Burning Airlines—yet none of these musicians or their bands enjoyed wider fame than Koslowski. He composed virtually every piece on the record, producing moody postmodern instrumental rock built from layered electric-guitar timbres that shift between abrasive edges and pronounced cinematic atmosphere. Enthusiasts of roughly contemporaneous instrumental alternative rock outfits such as Scenic and Friends of Dean Martinez may find the music rewarding.