Q - "Heads"

Once upon a time, not so long ago, a certain sound thrived in Kansas City. Its main standard-bearers: Shiner, Molly McGuire, Season to Risk, and Boys Life, among others. From decidedly left-of-the-dial influences (at least at the time; see Quicksand, Helmet, Tool, et al.), what eventually came to be known as "the Kansas City sound" was born.

All the essential ingredients implied danger: whiplash rhythmic turnarounds, white-noise dissonant guitar seizures that surged and retreated, and inexorable, steamrolling bass. Dismissed by some as "math-rock", or "Morse Code with guitars", at least it was fresh, it took chances; then, somehow, for reasons unknown it all but disappeared from radar without warning. A break-up, leave-town, side-project limbo quickly ensued shortly after which could very well have sealed its fate.

With their debut, Heads, Q proves that reports of the death of the Kansas City sound have been greatly exaggerated. The emphasis on this release seems to be on furthering the evolution of the ideas of those who came before them, rather than on innovation; nevertheless, Q creates enough of a personal identity, even while using the same basic building blocks, to avoid accusations of scavenging.

Instrumentally, Q accomplishes a respectable range of textures, even with a somewhat limited palette. The funereal dirge of "Anonymous" opens Heads with a droning guitar riff spliced over a jerking 5/4 drum pattern, giving support to Brandon Glad's dark, probing lyrics- loss, bitterness (Ice 9), frustration and revenge (Cliché Girl) are all addressed- documenting the plights of a cast of crushed spirits who reached for the brass ring but missed it by a breath. Gunshot snare cracks and cellar-deep bass underpin "Down the Drain" , giving the guitars a chance to catch their breath before diving back into the verses, while the bell-like harmonic intro and chorus of "Bus Stop" contrasts the "wall of sound" approach used on most of the record with an almost subdued half-time verse. Q obviously isn't interested in giving an easy listen, but those who take the time to dig a little deeper will be rewarded, as there is plenty to digest.

Of course, while Heads is a solid, cohesive effort, it does fall victim to some of the same traps as its predecessors. The relentless attacks on social (little "s") Darwinism tend to exhaust the ears after repeated listens, and Glad's vocals dip noticeably flat in places. Also, the lyrics occasionally regress in places to study-hall sentiment, gravitating toward the same basic themes without exploring new angles. Most notably, Q's nearly exclusive use of drop-D tuning presents as a fallback measure to give the impression of "heaviness"; their use of this device as a default element is a little disappointing, especially in light of the fact that the band clearly has the talent to take greater chances with their material. Overall, though, this is a fine first effort for Q, and a welcome change from the paint-by-numbers crowd.

--Chris Wagner