QUASI’s ‘WHEN The GOING GETS DARK’ Receives Vinyl Reissue

Portland duo, QUASI morphed from the band Motorgoat, after bassist, Brad Pedinov left the three-piece in 1993. That same year, the husband and wife team of Janet Weiss (drums) and multi-instrumentalist, Sam Coomes would record a cassette of 14 originals and one T-Rex cover as their new project/moniker. A pair of tracks from the tape would later be re-recorded for the QUASI‘s tremendous UP Records debut, R&B Transmogrification, in 1997. Weiss and Coomes had already been divorced for around 2 years, by that point, but their partnership outside of matrimony was far from over. The pair have something special between them; an enduring bond that has carried them for nearly three-and-a-half decades.

There was a post-millennium wave that ushered in a slew of 2-piece rock acts — The White Stripes, Japandroids, The Black Keys, Death From Above 1979, The Helio Sequence, Matt & Kim, Lightning Bolt, Hella, etc. — but, during the time of QUASI‘s formation, it was a much rarer occurrence to find a live act limited to two members that didn’t involve some form of electronics or backing track. Even WEEN was performing live with a DAT machine at the time. As for their few contemporaries like Local H, godheadSilo, and The Spinanes, most, if not all, have long since dissolved. Both members have maintained outside projects from the beginning — Coomes with his solo albums and Heatmiser, as well as studio work with artists like Built To Spill and the Go-Betweens, while Weiss was a member of Sleater-Kinney, Wild Flag, and The Jicks — but the fact that they always come back together is such a beautiful thing. No matter what else they may embark on individually, the chemistry they possess as a collective force is undeniable.

QUASI puts out an incredibly full sound for only 2 people, forging something unique enough to make them instantly identifiable while never limiting themselves or remaining stagnant. From their early days on UP in the 90s into their two-thousand-oughts run on Touch and Go Records and on through the pair of LPS they put out on Kill Rockstars (2010 and 2016) and their most recent comeback record for SUB POP last year, each of these eras display a noticeable evolution in their trademark sound. The trio of albums they did through UP are all classics which, most likely, remain their most popular and well-known material, but the Touch and Go period saw them creating some of my favorite output of their career. No release was likely more overlooked than When The Going Gets Dark (2006). With its stenciled cover art of a ferocious lion leaping from a boombox speaker, their aptly named final album on the Chicago label is one of my favorites. Delving into some “dark,” experimental, psychedelic freak-out territory, there are elements not unlike what Coomes was producing with his bandmates in the avant-jazz noise project, Pink Mountain during the same time.

Today, Touch and Go announces a brand new reissue of When The Going Gets Dark, something that I couldn’t be more excited about. Pressed on 140-gram metallic gold vinyl, the album is slated for a May 17th release date in a limited edition run of only 1,000 copies. With the label announcing this information alongside the news of a brand new SHELLAC album, it’s easy for it to get overshadowed. That said, being slept on is nothing new for QUASI and When The Going Gets Dark has always been one of their most slept-on releases.

Janet Weiss offers the following insight behind the project, which was originally released on March 21st, 2006:

When the Going Gets Dark was tracked in a local Portland studio called Audible Alchemy. Our hope was that without the stresses and logistical difficulties of being musicians and engineers simultaneously, we would be liberated enough to propel our playing to a new level. This did in fact happen. Our takes were some of the most daring and expansive of our career. We captured sounds that were powerful,
unrepeatable, and unmistakably psychedelic. Images began to emerge, centered on dreams, memories, and defiance, and it seemed our record was coming together. But problems and frustrations with the studio slowed us down, and by mix down, the sessions came to a halt.

We let sleeping dogs lie for a while, and then I had the bright idea to call Dave Fridmann, the genius who produced The Woods for my other band SLEATER-KINNEY. He agreed to take the tapes to his studio in Fredonia, NY (Tarbox Road Studios). It was like winning the lottery. He understood the intensity and beautiful chaos we had captured. He made the mixes powerful and unpredictable. He enhanced the swirling, layered, psyche feel, and I swear, sprinkled fairy dust on our record.

I am proud of this music. Most of the bands that started when Quasi did are broken up or playing reunion shows. Tastes have changed, and fans have moved onto other things. But in the end, it’s the indescribable, soulful connection between Sam and me that compels us to continue writing and recording our songs. When the Going Gets Dark proves that all the blood, sweat and tears were worthwhile.

Sam Coomes adds further background on his Instagram account:

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You can preorder When The Going Gets Dark now via the Touch and Go webstore