Fill in your own adjectives, of course, but this is outstanding driving music, featuring both propulsive, dynamic energy and a gripping melancholy undercurrent.

Instrumental rock can be tough to write about. Once you've said that a disc is "atmospheric, fiery and evocative," or some such combination of adjectives, where do you go from there? I'm not really sure, but the accomplished Louisville twosome who call themselves The Photographic (Jamey See Tai on guitars, bass and keyboards, and Chad Blevins on drums/percussion) have made a terrific instrumental recording called Pictures of a Changing World. And, uh, it's "atmospheric, fiery and evocative."

Fill in your own adjectives, of course, but this is outstanding driving music, featuring both propulsive, dynamic energy and a gripping melancholy undercurrent—the twin components of any long drive for some of us. Highlights include the luminous, purposeful opener "Inception," the guitar-mospheric "Secure" (in which the tonal colors of the guitar are nicely complemented by robust percussion) and the aptly named "Lost in a Daydream," a short piece which offers a shimmering sound that evokes walking among fragile glass figurines whose deep colors keep reflecting the ambient light in a dazzling manner.

Make no mistake, though—this is rock music, with Blevins' drumming on "Bridge Runs," "Glass Saviour" and a few other tracks nailing a John Bonham-like intensity. And yet, "We Were Fed Poisoned Bread," in its sparse brand of moodiness, could almost be a Sigur Ros outtake. A consistent mood somehow emerges from what these two talented musicians conjure here, while the well-conceived sense of dynamics keeps you interested. I truly admire musicians that can make engaging instrumental rock without being boring, and if this disc isn't particularly groundbreaking, it sure is just about perfect for an afternoon's drive running errands, passing by various pictures of a changing world as you go... B+ | Kevin Renick

RIYL: Explosions in the Sky, Tortoise, Tristeza