So this is David Yow's new project. It's not new per se but new to him, Qui have been around as a 2 piece since 2003. In late 2006 David Yow hooked up with them to do a guest spot for one of their live shows and ended up sticking around long enough to coalesce into a full on working band and released this album. This album is pretty awesome. It's not as good as their live show but it captures them quite nicely. 9 tracks, 2 are covers the rest sound like lost mclusky meets jesus lizard tracks. The subject matter ranges from pissed off to very angry to laughing about being pissed off and angry. This music seems to seethe and teeter on the brink of a breakdown. It's excellent dirty rock n roll and it sounds like an Albini production but its not.
Let's do a track by track:
1. Apartment-The only track of Qui as a duo without Yow and it's one of the best on the album, I want to believe it's about the drummer's apartment not lasting through a rainstorm. 9/10
2. Today, Gestation-The first track Qui did with Yow and it's a barnburner fucking awesome, intense. 9/10
3. Gash-Pretty incredible, lyrically very reminescent of Jesus Lizard musically very Mcluskyish. Has some pretty interesting yet slightly distracting backing vocals during the "chorus". 8/10
4. Freeze-Might be the best song on the album it seems like it's shitting on a "handsome businessman" or something and telling him they hope he freezes to death in a place who knows where it is. This song ends with Yow talking some rant about baskin robbins and a penguin eating their ice cream and something about how the vanilla looks like sploogh on the penguin's chin.10/10
5. New Orleans-One of the more meandering and lackluster tracks on the album, nice musicianship with not much else going on, slightly boring but still pretty good. 7/10
6. A#1-I have no idea why they titled this like this since the only lyrics on the song are "baby blue" sung very softly and almost comically given the mood of the album, I like this one because it shows they have a sense of humor and it's almost sweet. 8/10
7. Willie the Pimp-The first of 2 covers on the album. This one's by Frank Zappa and I love it but i cant even begin to see this as a Frank Zappa song. It is like a long lost garage rock gem that i have never heard, very catchy and very sarcastically sung, way high energy and another one of the best tracks on the album. 10/10
8. Belt-This song is another fucking awesome rocker, this one is a little heavier and definately wears it's Jesus Lizard on it's sleeve. Very pissed very cathartic. 9/10
9. Echoes-Yep, Pink Floyd. Pretty straightforward doesnt deviate too much from the original, i saw them perform this live as an encore without Yow on vocals which leads me to believe he isnt on this one and it would make sense and it would make the first song and last bookends to a Yow involved album. This song is kinda boring but a nice sendoff.8/10
This band seems like Yow's logical progression from the Jesus Lizard to now. Good Job!
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