in loving memory

If naming a band after a well-worn epitaph seems dour, do not be fooled: In Loving Memory are anything but. Rooted in the largely unexplored nexus between spacious post-rock and melodic '80s new wave, any of the band's dark overtones are ephemeral at most, giving way to cascading, tuneful instrumentals that are the trio's hallmark. Strikingly, the band's members guitarist/programmer Michael Venezia, bassist Charles LaBarbara and drummer Robin Emmet are as enigmatic as their music, loathe to emphasize too much of themselves. It seems fitting for a group that spent two years sequestered in a rehearsal room, away from the scenes and scenesters, honing their distinctive strain of nuanced instrumental pop.The result is an extraordinary study in contradictions: fluid low end and timing nailed down with spikes. The druggy haze of stoner rock and the levity of jangle pop. Taut arrangements and a vast palette of sound. Electronic textures (courtesy of Venezia, who released techno 12" singles under the guise of 4th Level) flit in and out of the songs, leaving only the slightest impression upon the listener in the otherwise organic mix.