(04.16.07) Qua’s promo one-sheet claims that the music on these two albums is “not easily categorized,” they “[draw] on elements of world music, folk, and rock with a seamless grace.” It compares Qua to “Mouse On Mars…Ennio Morricone , and… Architecture In Helsinki.” That is just publicity pap. Truth be told, Qua sounds like Tortoise with a little of The Dylan Group thrown in. If those bands are to be called post-rock, then Qua is the very definition of post-laptop. Mixing strictly synthesized sounds with unarguably live instrumentation, Qua leans more to the organic, acoustic sounds on Forgetabout, and more on the laptop on Painting Monsters On Cloud (both releases, of which, were originally released on Surgery Records in 2002 and 2004 respectively).
Similar in spirit to the territory staked out by Ultramarine on New Kingdoms, Qua is at turns pastoral, such as on Painting Monsters‘ “Watercolour.” At others angular, “HappyDomestika ,” never really excelling at either but not altogether failing. There is something to the music, something compelling beyond reason, hitting you in the heart more than in the head. Not that this is simple music, it isn’t. If you’re one to meticulously map out the percussion patters in your head or try to visualize what the Logic session would look like while listening to music, this will keep you occupied for a bit, to be sure. But the real impact is beyond the critical, it is emotional, counter-intuitively so.
This sounds like I’m waffling, and I admit it. Yes, parts of both records are beautiful, and parts are tedious. Each positive has a negative, and this equilibrium is consistent across both albums –which makes these hard to recommend. But I like to think ofQua’s material like this: if you accept, as some have, that the film The Core is the most completely mediocre film ever made, then you can compare any other film as being either better or worse than it. The Core is neither good nor bad, it merely exists as the middle ground. Qua isn’t great but isn’t terrible either. Both albums have something to recommend as much as they have something to not recommend. This shouldn’t be read as being negative, because it isn’t, but it isn’t positive either. I’m on the fence, Qua is too.
Painting Monsters On Clouds and Forgetabout are both out now on Mush. [Purchase
