Quttinirpaaq - Let's Hang OutWell I wasn't expecting this. The bizarrely named Quttinirpaaq (apparently it's a Canadian national park) have just unleashed a fine slab of sludgey, lowend noise rock, with a number of effective ambient and drone instrumental interludes. Following No Visitors, Let's Hang Out is the second album from these Austin, Texas, based psychedelic noiseniks within a year, and on this one there's no holding back. Some of this had me thinking of early Terminal Cheesecake, and round these parts that's no bad thing. But that doesn't become apparent for some time, before that we're treated to the unsavoury delights of 'Diary Of A Pig Keeper's Wife' which kicks off Let's Hang Out with a lumbering looped roar, rhythmic lashings cut with background chants and wails caught behind a bunch of high end frequencies before lunging into 'Chinese Hercules' with its scorching hypno-Black Sabbathesque riffing, distant holler and rampaging bass running up and down the scales, loaded with frequencies and effects. By this point Let's Hang Out is throwing up comparisons with heavyweights such as Gravitar, Butthole Surfers with a wee bit of Skullfower chucked in for good measure. 'Stork', meanwhile, hits upon a savage clipped riffing that's right out of the Chrome Half Machine Lip Moves songbook. It's a stunning black psychedelic space jam that abruptly cuts into the dirty ambient textures and explosive rhythms of 'Guess What Happened To Mr Incredible?'. It's clear then that Let's Hang Out isn't all about guitars pushed into the red. That goes for 'Man Without A Body' too as electronic rhythms infused with an element of distortion rattles and pulse, with brief interjections of cut-up voices. The atmo keys and backward shifting sound of 'A Golden Sherriff' which closes the first side settles into an uneasy quiet presence that up till now Quttinirpaaq didn't seem capable of.And as good as the first side of Let's Hang Out is, Quttinirpaaq really deliver the goods on the flip side where they really let loose with some seriously wigged out psychedelic noise. If you dig Terminal Cheesecake, especially the earlier Wiiija releases, you're gonna fucking adore what follows. From tape treatments 'Vamos A Martar Santana' hurtles into some serious druggy distorted riffing, warped vocal outbursts rooted around pummelling low-end bass and some frantic drum rhythms. Things slow down a bit on the sludgey 'Cop Boner'; a crazy melding of the Butthole Surfers and Terminal Cheesecake, while the expansive 'Let Merv Drive' locks into a deep pummelling bass boom over simple drum beats as guitars career into overdrive with the voice reduced to a mere background murmur. Words really aren't necessary when the music is such a blast. Quttinirpaaq excel at sludgey, grinding sound laced with elements of noise, and a penchant for blissed out ambience and drone. Just listen to the drifting tones and dubby rhythms of 'Old Whisky Shoes'. Some dub bass would really have elevated this one but, hey, that's just my opinion. The haunted mellotron riddled with industrial effects and feedback of 'A Secret History of Belgian Dog Owners' is an unlikely closer but like 'Old Whisky Shoes' it shows Quttinirpaaq's willingness to experiment, to take the sound into other areas. Let's Hang Out is something of a find. Sure there's little cohesion at times; it's not exactly a concept album and there are some abrupt cuts. It is however a stunning psychedelic noise record. Limited to 300 copies on clear vinyl in blood splattered spray with full colour insert. Psychedelic noise heads won't want to miss this. Check out the samples on bandcamp and go buy. |