Q And Not U – No Kill No Beep Beep LP

Q And Not U – No Kill No Beep Beep LP

"In the psychological search for the roots of behavior, the simplified final verdict comes down to environment versus genetics. If music can be brought into the study, chromosomes might as well throw in the towel, since environment seems to have behavior in a headlock when you put D.C. under the scope. The first five seconds of "Fever Sleeves" project more D.C. landmarks than the Mall. Taking a quick survey of the city, we find ghettos reaching into suburbia and suburbs reaching into ghettopia. Georgetown gentrification rubs against white government blocks as other sectors rot under boarded windows. So, it's not surprising that pop bands from D.C. can carry nasty faces and ragged edges, while hardcore bands may spice their spikes with coats of glucose.

Q and Not U roll out of the mold of the Capitol dome in the stereotypical D.C. form and find an ideal home in the roster of D.C. archivists, Dischord Records. For Dischord's 20th Anniversary, No Kill No Beep Beep serves as suitable a summation as the label's upcoming box set. Beeping guitars flutter, thrash and crash like wuxia. Drummer John Davis leads the listener through the herky-jerky chaos like an acrobatic fullback. At times, the rhythms and changes rumbling from his kit hog too much spotlight, and songwriting takes a backseat to cluttered post-hardcore aerobics. Q and Not U pummel through their disc in piecemeal haste. Duel guitars stutter to spit out all they learned from Fugazi and Circus Lupus. This is punk rock filibustering. Loopy finger-tappings and harsh pick-hammerings take precedence over the chordal strumming of those other cities." - Brent DiCrescenzo