Using nothing but three bass guitars, London-based Rothko create haunting instrumental music expansive enough to fill visions of the vast desert landscapes it conjures. The band, composed of Mark Beazley, Crawford Blair and Jon Meade, released their first single, "For Danny," on the Fierce Panda label in August 1998. Since then, they've put out a number of releases, including the Truth Burns EP, produced by Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde, and a full-length, A Negative for Francis, both of which were released in 1999. With their unique lineup, Rothko give their songs a wide space in which to expand; they often keep tempo with one bass, while the other two intertwine with each other to paint pristine, emotive songs. The absence of vocals in their music simply steps up the emotion captured by the instruments themselves.

"Roads Become Rivers" is less dense than much of Rothko’s other material. In it, they abandon feedback-induced fuzz in favor of a melodic line whose notes gently pitter-patter like softly falling raindrops. Reflective but not melancholy, atmospheric but not claustrophobic, the song is a moving work that won't fail to draw listeners in. Check out the track yourself and see if you can resist its pull.

-- Nina Pearlman

Nina Pearlman is senior editor of The Rocket, a Seattle-based publication devoted to covering music in the Pacific Northwest. Her work has also appeared in such publications as Magnet, AP and New York Press.