When you bring up the name Jack Kerouac, most minds go directly to the 1957 masterpiece On the Road that became the bible of the Beat Generation. Many forget however that Kerouac shunned his overnight superstar status famously stating "I'm not a beatnik, I'm a Catholic." By 1962, Kerouac was drinking heavily and in deep despair about his life and that is when he crafted possibly the most overlooked novel in his career Big Sur, written in isolation at a friend's cabin at the locale of the same name. 40 years after Kerouac's death, a documentary called One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur revisits that period of Kerouac's life and Jay Farrar (Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo) and Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service) have created twelve original songs all inspired by pieces written in the novel for the film.

At first glance, Farrar and Gibbard seem strange bed fellows for this project. The Alt-Country troubadour Farrar is such an obvious choice since most of his words and music throughout his career have been heavily influenced by Kerouac, but Indie-Rock darling Gibbard feels like he'd be the strange anomaly of the pair. While listening to One Fast Move or I'm Gone however, you start to realize that Gibbard's high voice is the perfect vehicle for the feelings of despair and hopelessness of Big Sur. Gibbard's lead vocal on the opening track "California Zephyr" and especially the title track heavily tug on the heartstrings like you wouldn't believe. Farrar has his moments in the sun here too with the dusty stomp of "Breathe Our Iodine" and the bleak closer "San Francisco," but it's Gibbard's songs that shine brightest throughout and leave imprints in your mind that will have you wanting to go back and revisit this album time and time again. One of the biggest surprises of the year, One Fast Move or I'm Gone is more than just an accompanying soundtrack; it is a fantastic record that stands up strongly on its own.