Vivid Low Sky, Sunshine & the Rain

Vivid Low Sky is the quasi-solo endeavor of guitarist David Koslowski. After fronting the Baltimore noise-rock band, Liquor Bike in the ‘90s, Koslowski spent time with indie-popsters Gerty and the Kraut-gaze of Free Electric State. He initially conceived the idea for the instrumental rock of Vivid Low Sky, while between tours, when he would make up music to accompany images on the television when the sound was muted.

In 1997, he recruited friends from other Baltimore/DC bands to help, including Miyuki Furtado (Rogers Sisters/Midnight Masses/Divining Rod), Shirlé Hale (Gerty/Free Electric State), Thomas Moore (Plow/Jet Set Vapor Trails) and J. Robbins (Jawbox/Burning Airlines) to record the bands first record. Koslowski wrote virtually all of the music that would make up ‘Music for Movies Unmade’ (Plastique Recording Co.) eventually released in 2000. The result was an impressive postmodern instrumental rock record with moody guitar textures both cinematic and abrasive. It received critical acclaim from CMJ, NPR, and made the year-end Top 10 list of a Rolling Stone critic. Chances are if you’ve ever listened to NPR, you have heard Vivid Low Sky, they still play songs from the record as incidental music to this day.

Fast-forward 18 years, the band members are now scattered throughout the East Coast, David & Shirlé, who are now married, are back in Baltimore after 14 years in Durham, NC, Miyuki now lives in New York and Thomas in Morgantown, WV.

Vivid Low Sky are back with their long-awaited follow-up, simply entitled ‘II’. Culminated from songs Koslowski has written over the years, his music became his therapy, while battling depression to the point of suicidal thought, almost losing his eyesight due to a detached retina, the death of his wife’s (Shirlé) parents and most recently his own father’s death. This is reflected in ‘II’ with its sense of growth as both an individual and a musician. The songs are both expansive and freeing at the same time introspective. The post-punk of “Cold Hands, Warm Heart” evokes the struggle of his father’s battle with a terminal disease, while the Eno-esque “Home” provides a sense of reflection and the comforting warmth of being back in Baltimore again.

The band met at David & Shirlé’s house, in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore, for a exhausting 6 hours of practice the night before. Recorded with producer J. Robbins at his Magpie Cage Studio, in just two days, the foursome created what would become the foundation for ‘II’. Koslowski even tossed the group a couple of brand new ideas that were left to chance and improvisation. Afterwards, J and David mixed the record both adding some additional guitars. The result of ‘II’ is a subtly seductive, beautifully chaotic and gorgeously cinematic LP.


REVIEWS:

“Vivid Low Sky’s first record is looped through and through with guitars that swoop and dive and leave petty, swirly trails behind, without any pesky vocals to mess up the instrumental patterns." – CMJ

"tough and fairly catchy instrumental rock that has a little post-punk edginess, but not that much dissonance -- which is a good thing." – All Music Guide / Rolling Stone


Husband-wife duo mesh raw punk, electronic pop, garage rock, noise pop and psychedelia to create a sound entirely their own.