For a two-piece band, Quasi sure does make a lot of noise. Their second CD, R&B Transmogrification, is filled with indie-pop gems buried under layers of textured sound, bringing to mind the best work of Up labelmates Built to Spill. Sam Coomes' nasal vocals, also reminiscent of Built to Spill's Doug Marsch, are often plaintive, but never dull. Using a heavily distorted "Rocksichord" -- an electronic keyboard invented to approximate the sound of a harpsichord -- as its central instrument, R&B Transmogrification combines a retro feel with a healthy helping of grunge, sort of the Doors meets Pavement. Best of all are the songs, which include "Ballad of Mechanical Man" (which uses the lyrics "soon we'll all be dead" as its creepy, catchy hook) and "Birds Eyes View" (written by drummer Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney), which recalls the work of the Magnetic Fields and Brian Eno.
Dale's post brought me back to a song in particular by Portland, OR's Quasi as well as a five-year job I had in the late Nineties. I worked on the thirty sixth floor of a conspicuous building. It housed a number of banks and important commerce that Friday afternoon fire drills were dead unflinching; if not that, there was a bomb scare almost every other day. We climbed down that endless flight ...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Ghost Dreaming |
|
|
| 2 Ballad of Mechanical Man |
|
|
| 3 In the First Place |
|
|
| 4 Bird's Eye View |
|
|
| 5 Two-Faced |
|
|
| 6 Ghost Vs. Vampire |
|
|
| 7 R&B Transmogrification |
|
|
| 8 When I'm Dead |
|
|
| 9 Sugar |
|
|
| 10 My Coffin |
|
|
| 11 Mama, Papa, Baby |
|
|
| 12 Chocolate Rabbit |
|
|
| 13 The Iron Worm |
|
|
| 14 Clouds |
|
|
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "R&B Transmogrification")
