Quasi

In addition to recording and playing their own spirited, hard-hitting brand of Indie-Pop, you may recognize Quasi from their brief stints backing up Elliott Smith live, or have seen drummer Janet Weiss pounding out songs in her other band, Sleater-Kinney. Those familiar with Weiss' sharp, enthusiastic timekeeping in Sleater-Kinney get a healthy dose of it in Quasi as well. Singer/organist/guitarist Sam Coomes, propelled by both the heart on his sleeve and a wryly humorous, peculiarly morbid disposition, playfully sings through clenched teeth: "You f*cked yourself" and "We went through hell, just to get to hell." Luckily Quasi's quick, focused approach doesn't constitute a therapy session -- these songs linger only as long as it takes Coomes to whip his "Rocksichord" (overdriven organ) into a spectral swirl and Weiss to snap him out of it.