Reviews

the independent .uk.feb. 1991.
bourbonese qualk "bo-qu/unpop" lp

although they have been largely ignred in this country, bourbonese qualk are one of the most pular english groups in europe and 'bo-qu' their collection of material gathered from 1982-1991 gives everyone here a chance to catch up. some of the tracks are taken from the bands half a dozen lp's and others are live or previously unavailable rcordings. that they are not represented in cronological order suggests this album is designed to show bq's tireless musical intensity rather than their development throught the eighties.

from the ugly dub funk of 'shutdown' and the latin rumblings and savaged vocals of 'gag', two of the older tracks to the evil hip hop beats of last years 'let it go' bq flaunt a fascination with rythm and noise. these are juxtaposed with minimal but no less compulsive soundscapes like the spooky 'under the influence' which appears on their new lp 'unpop', 'glass works' played lve on a variety of glass objects and 'return to order'. the tender guitar work of the latter is reminiscent of early durrutti column but a wailing clarinet engineers a disturbing twist.

apart from a couple of laboured experiments, bo-qu' is an admirable compilation and it is a pity that bq will never be aswell known here as on the continent just becase they can't confirm to any musical category or trend. their unpop tunes are unique.full credit to them

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E.S.T.
Bourbonese Qualk "Unpop" (Total F.I. 2TFI3) CD 60 minutes

Despite the title, this album isn't just the Qualk at their most abrasive (for which, read: "they shout a lot"): if anything it's the most "pop" that I've heard them. Three Man Junta, for example mixes jazz / rock rhythms with brass and string sounds that sound very Middle Eastern; M25 has a very tuneful keyboard to give it direction; and Propane uses repetitive rhythms and keyboards in a very romantic manner. The noise is still there, with the frantic This and the deeply groovy NVLRN being the best examples of B.Q.'s dance-rock rhythms (predating too many others) and Simon Crab's distinctive fuzzy hollering. Other tracks stick to a gentler sound, bringing in some excellent acoustic guitar and Jon Hassell-like trumpet, but it's Owen Rossiter's complex, expert drumming that holds everything together. I'm not especially a Bourbonese Qualk fan, but this is a great album, very musical, full of variety, and definitely worth hearing. Perfect music for travelling with, incidentally. [Total F.I., PO Box 284, Glasgow G14 9TW] BD