Although In Vain is their first album under this moniker, the Yaks are a duo whose collaboration intersects the work of the Latin jazz combo the Irradicats as well as the phantom hi-jinx of Fiction. The intuitive Steve Glover mans the drums on this collection of songs. His credits include work with Fat City, Mission Creep, Holoscene, and the Owls in addition to the groups listed above. Glover consistently identifies the specific style needed by a song or to suit the style of a group, and transitions effortlessly between a myriad of indy rock nuances to bebop and Latin clave genres as needed. Dave Lawson provides the rest of the instrumentation, lyrics, and vocals. He doesn't care to comment further on the songs or music, thinking that if they're not self-explanatory enough, his further explanations won't help. His experience, however, include international tours through the U.S., Europe, and Canada, a B.A. in Guitar Performance, 15 years of recording and a sporadic decade of performances throughout club scene (and dives) in California. The Yaks are accompanied by critically-acclaimed cellist Elaine Kreston on the tracks "Soul Waits" and "Healing Word." More information about Ms. Kreston (who has studied with Yo-Yo Ma and other masters) can be found at www.elainekreston.com . Kreston's group TranslucenT has their new CD "Chromosphere" available here at cdbaby.