ARTIST: Qui
TITLE: Love's Miracle
LABEL: Ipecac
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 204kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 39m total
RELEASE DATE: 2007-09-11
RIP DATE: 2007-09-12
Track List
----------
1. Apartment 3:58
2. Today, Gestation 4:25
3. Gash 3:26
4. Freeze 3:21
5. New Orleans 4:01
6. A #1 5:35
7. Willie The Pimp 3:02
8. Belt 4:50
9. Echoes 6:37
Release Notes:
In the nine years since The Jesus LizardÆs split little has been seen in the UK
of the bandÆs iconic front man, the inimitable David Yow. Aside from a handful
of appearances here with legendary sludge masters the Melvins, Yow has kept an
un-characteristic low profile. If anything his absence has only fuelled the
manÆs legend. Anyone who caught The Jesus Lizard live back during the gold rush
of the grunge days will undoubtedly have been bowled over by the strength and
un-predictability of the band and YowÆs performance. The man took crowd surfing
to an art form, destroying the imaginary barrier between performer and audience
(and sometimes venues air conditioning appliances in the process) and receiving
the occasional æcold cockÆ knockout punch for his trouble.
So, when news started to filter through from the US that he had hooked up with
Los Angeles drums-and-guitar duo Qui, tongues started wagging about which label
the now three-piece would hook up with. Eventually, after the act released a
single on Los Angeles-based Infrasonic Sound Recordings and following a wee
bidding tussle, Ipecac secured the bandÆs services long term. Live performances
at the Supersonic Festival in Birmingham and the Barfly in London saw Yow lose
his passport as well as his shirt, and delivering a typically erratic, whirling
dervish spectacle of a show. ItÆs with some excitement, then, that their LoveÆs
Miracle was received in the DiS office.
When the album bursts open, with the metallic thump of æApartmentÆ, one is left
wondering if this is indeed Yow singing at all! His sweetness and light,
high-pitched vocals clash against a Dale Crover-like drum rampage and squealing
feedback-drenched guitar. It works, of course, and it sets the tone for an album
which, whilst pushing all the right buttons, weaves every which way it can. The
songs are pulled so taut you feel like they could snap back and break apart at
any time. The charmingly titled æGashÆ has a chorus where Yow repeatedly chants
ôSmackheadö over an Andy Gill buzz-saw riff. WeÆre not a million miles away from
Jesus Lizard territory here, but if anything guitarist Matt Cronk is more tied
to the blues, as their cover of Frank ZappaÆs æWillie the PimpÆ shows. Yow does
his best to channel Captain BeefheartÆs growling vocals.
On the albumÆs original tracks, Yow still seems perversely fascinated by the odd
minutiae of conversations and the under-side of æeverydayÆ life. He seemingly
takes the role of a cross-dressing psycho on the track æToday, GestationÆ,
asking of the little black dress heÆs sporting, ôHey does this make me look
chubby?ö Lady replies: yes, it does. Oh to spend a few hours inside of the mind
of David Yow!
The album ends in suitably perverse form with the band running through a
surprisingly faithful rendition of Pink Floyds 'Echoes' from their 1971
progressive-rock classic Meddle. LoveÆs Miracle is an oddly enjoyable affair on
the whole, although in a time when US bands are working through a Fantasy
Football League-like transfer system (IÆll swap your an ex-Jesus Lizard singer
for a Helmet drummer), it may take an album or two for them to completely work
out their sound. In the meantime: catch them live when you can.