Quasi Albums (6)
'When the Going Gets Dark'
Release Date 3/17/2006
Tracks 11
Label P-Vine Japan
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For their seventh album, Janet Weiss and Sam Coomes decided to forgo the bells and whistles and focus on what really makes Quasi Quasi: the two of them. To do this, they stick to their straightforward piano/guitar/drums combo (which doesn't mean, however, that this is a back-to-basics lo-fi record; there's still a lap steel and various layered keyboard synthesizers and sound effects -- including bells and whistles -- in there) and When the Going Gets Dark finds the duo very focused and musically solid, resulting in the seemingly incongruous combination of a clean, well-played album with a messy, muddy sound. Weiss is great on the drums, attacking rock beats head on and adding aggressive fills, and Coomes is a more than respectable guitar and keys player; his overdriven Fender is percussive and expressive, and his acoustic piano can change from almost sloppy chord-pounding to free jazz riffing. He takes some solos with both instruments, but they're short and polite, and don't take away from the energy and dynamism between him and Weiss. Coomes also cuts back on his vocals throughout the record, singing only a few short verses (or nothing at all, in the instrumental "Presto Chang-o") and a chorus or two, and while there are still politically charged songs (the rollicking "Death Culture Blues," for example, where he voices anger over the fact "We're told just to get in line/And bow down to the almighty dollar sign"), there's not the direct attack found on Hot Shit. Weiss, for the most part, stays behind the kit, though when she does sing harmony she sounds good, and complements the edgier songs with her softer voice. Yeah, sometimes Quasi get a little too carried away with themselves and the album seems a bit directionless, but that's only when they move away from the grit and into the prettier, synth-based tunes (like the very oh-right-Dave-Fridmann-produced-this-album "Beyond the Sky" and the closer, "Invisible Star," which has an unfortunate resemblance to something that should be at a high-school graduation). But when Quasi play like how they started out over ten years ago -- two people, three instruments, and a lot of passion -- they're grittier, bluesier, and tighter than ever, and they're absolutely fantastic. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
While their fourth album The Sword of God chafed at religious mainstream, Quasi is once again unapologetic for their own social criticisms with another set of indie rock fun. Hot Shit, the band's second for Touch and Go and fifth overall, is Quasi's soap box for ridiculing post-September 11 actions, mostly by those non-liberal leaders of the U.S. of A. Janet Weiss and Sam Coomes aren't outright harsh or rude; they're funny in that cunning sort of way. This time, the 11-song set is much more organized; the lush cinematic feel found on the last effort is replaced with a sparsely foliated atmosphere, and that's what makes Hot Shit's theme so important. Quasi makes an impression without being high-handed. Shared vocal duties from Coomes and Weiss is their finest glazed pop effort yet, their closest to sounding like the Flaming Lips at times ,and the album's slick title track and the piano-driven honky-tonk ballad "Seven Years Gone" find Quasi's pop/rock work-in-progress enjoyably funkadelic. Surf-rock energy of "Good Time Rock N Roll" is a reminder of why they do the thing they do -- Quasi aren't spokesmen, they just want to make music that's artistically modern and intellectually amusing. Hot Shit works in this mold and it works well. Hints of string arrangements loom in and around the album's rowdy rock sound. Once the quirky avant-garde/indie rock jaunt "White Devil's Dream" arrives, it's pretty obvious that Quasi doesn't particularly care for conservative ideals. Coomes pretty much gives America's right-wing rulers (John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell) the finger and calls Tony Blair a sellout in the process. Quasi's crass sense of humor is in full force, but throughout their witty criticisms Quasi are imaginative songwriters and conscious of their curiously cool indie rock style. Hot Shit does it again and does it better! ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Quasi, the duo comprised of Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss and Elliott Smith bassist Sam Coomes, returns after a lengthy absence with their fifth outing overall, and their Touch & Go debut. After such a lengthy break, Quasi reveal how much they've grown as a collective. Make no mistake, The Sword of God is as zany -- or more so -- than any of the band's previous efforts. Weiss has become a stomping drummer, a poignant, ironically comedic lyricist, and a smart-assed vocalist, and Coomes has become a smoking guitar player and a proficient if not deft keyboardist, with a penchant for wiseacre humor that picks out the detritus of pop culture and lampoons it to death, as on "Fuck Hollywood" or "Rock & Roll Can Never Die." That's not to say there isn't any "serious" music on The Sword of God, because the darkness-obsessed tracks are here too, such as "It's Raining," "From a Hole in the Ground," and the supremely melancholy "Introduction." There's even a cinematically atmospheric feel to many of the tunes, as sound effects are readily employed for nuance and texture. It's just that, even on the darker emotional landscapes, Quasi has this remarkable tendency to keep the music upbeat and swinging. The only outside appearance here is in the form of a saxophone solo on the album's final track by Stanley Zappa. Quasi is a rock band without a mission and, as such, they make music that is texturally fascinating and intellectually stimulating -- because of their (often crass) humor and their absolute knowledge of rock and pop clichés from the '60s to the present. This may not be their best offering, but it's a truly fine record that offers plenty in the way of satisfaction. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
How she finds enough time to split her duties between Sleater-Kinney and her side projects will remain a mystery, but Janet Weiss, along with ex-Heatmiser alum Sam Coomes has managed to subtly assemble yet another worthwhile album. Titled Field Studies, it's Quasi's fourth full-length effort. Stemming from the Portland, OR scene that brought us Elliott Smith, it is not surprising that Field is marked with harmonies and whispered vocals not unlike those found on Smith's own records. In addition, Coomes has done duty as the rhythm guitarist in Smith's touring band, so again, no surprise that Smith plays bass on three of the album's tracks. While there are a few noisy, punk-out numbers to be found, Field is less aggressive but more tonal, dreamy, and much more carefully melodic than the band's previous records. At times, Quasi's extensive "aaahh" vocal harmonies shockingly smell like Phish, especially on the amusing "A Fable with No Moral," a song complete with tweaky guitar snaps and a piano lullaby outro. Weiss' trampoline drumming mixes with Coomes' sometimes buzzing, other times sliding, always twisting guitar lines in providing dual rhythmic textures, which allow the song to head in several directions while the vocals journey elsewhere, a style that is perfected by Built to Spill, a band that you consistently hear within the frame of Field Studies. It's that sort of distinguished structural conception that keeps the music fresh. On "Bon Voyage," reflective, near-dreary vocals counter bright, spirited tremolo guitar noodling, all of which is later underscored and uplifted by a church organ on which Weiss plays a spooky Halloween theme. Coomes is not the gifted singer his pal Smith is, but something about the slightly off-key and occasional atonal nature of his ringing vocals makes the songs elegantly honest, as if they literally come straight from the heart. Lyrics are image-specific, and draw your ear to the sights their words elicit. A few songs lack the intertwining rhythms that make Field Studies notably delightful, but they are the minority. Owing allegiance to the Flaming Lips and other sugary pop dissonance masters, Field Studies is a showcase of intelligent surprises and awkward beauty. [A 2001 Japanese version added a bonus track.] ~ Bob Gendron, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Chock full of fuzzy keyboards, aggressive drums and a lifetime's supply of dark humor, Quasi's Featuring Birds is the perfect blend of pop and pessimism. "Life is dull, life is grey/At its best it's just OK/But I'm happy to report/Life is also short" begins the sarcastically sublime "California," which invites the listener to hum along, even if the subject is quite morbid. Failed relationships, death, being "swallowed by the work machine," and pretty much every other ulcer-inducing worry is handled with neurotic finesse by singer/keyboardist Sam Coomes. He has one of indie-pop's most pleasant voices, and it is put to great use on songs like the acidic "The Poison Well" and the epic noise-fest "Sea Shanty." Coomes' downer outlook is balanced by Janet Weiss whose tight, no-nonsense drumming provides a welcome sense of stability. Featuring Birds acts as the couch in the shrink's office, giving Coomes free reign to exclaim such cheery thoughts as "We went through hell, just to get to hell," and "Drowned if you sink, condemned if you float"; even Walt Disney gets a sly, verbal kick in the pants on "It's Hard to Turn Me On." There has never been a better time for being a world-weary cynic than the late '90s, and no one does it better than Quasi. In fact, feeling bad never sounded so good. ~ Dale Nicholls, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
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. ~ Lee Zukor, All Music Guide
