ARTIST: RQTN
TITLE: We Were... We Are
LABEL: Swarm of Nails Records
GENRE: Instrumental Rock
BITRATE: 205kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 39m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-06-00
RIP DATE: 2008-11-19
Track List
----------
1. Morning And Handwritten Letter 7:52
2. Of Course... They All Died 8:35
3. She Left Me When I Was On The 6:04
Battlefield
4. All My Feelings Were Fake 8:42
5. Passing Out In Front Of Us 8:00
Release Notes:
http://www.myspace.com/rqtnisdead
RQTN was born from the ashes of the now-defunct French hardcore band, Atheist
Prayer. Guitarist Mathieu Artu enlisted a few friends, including Gregory
Hoepffner from Time to Burn, for this decidedly more downtempo affair. While
RQTN is more relaxing than its parent band, this long EP (5 songs, 39 minutes)
could have used a bit more of daddyÆs fire. Granted, this is meant to be a
post-rock/ambient production (and itÆs nice to see someone actually define
themselves as post-rock these days), but thereÆs nothing in the books that says
it has to be so calm.
Part of the problem may be the transition between genres, one which is easy to
emulate, but hard to imitate. RQTNÆs album and website imagery contains
vestigial references to a more violent past. The dominant imagery is that of
WWII: black and white photos of an anguished soldier, a worried mother looking
skyward, a boat discharging soldiers at Normandy. And yet the music fails to
conjure up the requisite subject matter or emotion, presenting a soothing patina
when we expected a requiem. Only the first track, ôMorning and Handwritten
Letters,ö comes close, but as such, it might have worked better as a closing
track. This former TSB Track of the Week is well-deserving of accolades. The
song is anchored by a recurrent five-note xylophone theme, supported by a
three-note violin theme and some highly effective military drums, reminiscent of
Larry MullenÆs work on U2Æs The Joshua Tree. Simple, but it works.
After this fantastic opener, the EP begins to nod into a post-rock nap, the
ideas coming slower as the tunes progress. ôOf Course, They All Diedö is the
albumÆs second track and second-best song. This track is what most would call
ôtypical post-rock,ö a languid series of peaks and valleys culminating in a
subdued crescendo. The accompanying video contains some nice footage of canyons
and clouds in fast-forward, followed by scenes of streetwalks and cars, a la
Koyaanisqatsi, and concludes with clouds moving over a city of electric lights.
This is all very appealing, but unfortunately, itÆs familiar ground. Perhaps all
novices in the post-rock field need to start this way, testing the template
before expanding their horizons.
The third track is the third-best song, the fourth is the fourth-best, and the
fifth û you guessed it û is the most disposable. Track three, ôShe Left Me When
I Was on the Battlefield,ö offers piano over a light rainstorm (again, a clichΘ,
but a nice clichΘ). I suppose we are supposed to feel sorry for the poor
soldier, but the music just doesnÆt sound that sad. Most folks would just call
it pretty. ôAll My Feelings Were Fakeö features an ambient guitar with slight
reverb. WeÆll call this one ôpleasant.ö The closer, ôPassing Out in Front of
Us,ö features competent but unnecessary vocals. All of this makes one want to
play the opening track once more to remind ourselves of how good RQTN can be.
Artu and company are certainly talented, and this is an above-average release,
but the music and the subject matter are at odds, and the disparity is somewhat
worrisome. Perhaps in this digital age, it is incongruous to quibble about
imagery when reviewing an audio release, but some images are so powerful that
they create an aura of expectation, and the music here simply does not fulfill
it. Worth the six euros for those who live in Europe, others should decide based
on their pay scale.