Name: R&B Transmogrification
Brand: Up
SKU: 1105228
Availability: OutOfStock

R&B Transmogrification

Rating

Album: R&B Transmogrification
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Ghost Dreaming
2)	Ballad of Mechanical Man
3)	In the First Place
4)	Bird's Eye View
5)	Two-Faced
6)	Ghost Vs. Vampire
7)	R&B Transmogrification
8)	When I'm Dead
9)	Sugar
10)	My Coffin
11)	Mama, Papa, Baby
12)	Chocolate Rabbit
13)	Iron Worm, The
14)	Clouds

Album: R&B Transmogrification
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Ghost Dreaming
2)	Ballad of Mechanical Man
3)	In the First Place
4)	Bird's Eye View
5)	Two-Faced
6)	Ghost Vs. Vampire
7)	R&B Transmogrification
8)	When I'm Dead
9)	Sugar
10)	My Coffin
11)	Mama, Papa, Baby
12)	Chocolate Rabbit
13)	Iron Worm, The
14)	Clouds

Performer Notes

Quasi: Sam Coomes (vocals, various instruments); Janet Weiss (drums).
Audio Mixers: Quasi; Charlie Campbell.
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

Professional Reviews

Option (9-10/97, p.113) - "...the gloomy subject matter never sinks these spirited indie rock ditties, which are powered by cool, fuzzed-out keyboards recorded way in the red....it's got a handful of dark, delicious pop moments you'll want to savor..."