Quien es, Boom!
Cast Your Burdens Aside (Sixgunlover)
The American Western of the Fifties was pure grit. It was all about the rogue and the frontier that goes on for miles. That expansive feel can be applied to the full-length debut of local sixpiece Quien es, Boom! Opener “Brittle Britches” tethers itself to gentle melodies, quiet synth, and intricate drumming, a formula fully cranked on most of the album, thanks in part to indie super producer Jeremy Lemos (Wilco, Stereolab). Yet guitarists/songwriting axis Jason Butler and Dabney Dwelle’s lyrics, at once haunting and uplifting, take center stage here. There’s a religious motif, as heard on the contemplative “Our Home, Edna”: “So there’s not strain Bardot weeps for Ezekiel’s name.” Elsewhere, the assertion “If we crush this serpent’s head, could we drink all the milk that it bled” parallels the line “the weak patient screams fever, but we both know that it’s neither of the things that we wish upon his poor little soul” on the electric “Friends You Could Sell.” It sounds sinister but flourishes under sleepy, chiming guitar, as does “Pseudo Artisan,” layering electronic beauty over a chaotic drum breakdown. Come for the melody, stay for the boom.
This article appears in April 21 • 2006.