Screen Door Music – Self-Titled

I must confess to generally having little use for instrumental music; perhaps those of us who write for a living have an overly developed dependence on words. So it came as a bit of a surprise when I found myself playing this disc repeatedly in recent weeks.

Perhaps it’s not such a surprise when considering who’s involved. Screen Door Music is a new Austin trio formed specifically with the intent of creating soundscapes that might be suitable for movie scores and other such incidental projects, but its players have considerable experience in the realm of singer-songwriters. Guitarist Robbie Gjersoe has played with both Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Robbie Fulks; pianist Bukka Allen is the son of Lubbock legend Terry Allen and has released a record of his own; and cellist Brian Standefer spent many years in Alejandro Escovedo’s band

Their touch is as graceful as you might expect from such credits, while the beauty of their sketches runs even deeper. Their instruments trade off the centerpiece role from track to track, and offer exquisitely subtle support when in the background. The vibe ranges from open-prairie American to sophisticated European to vaguely Middle Eastern — but is consistently beautiful music.