The fifth LP from the once-married duo of Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss is another dose of cynicism, hopelessness and paranoia packaged in sugary sweetness. As always, Coomes sometimes-unrefined, high-pitched vocals sound so childlike, innocent and friendly, it’s hard to believe he’s uttering such depressing thoughts. And when ace drummer Weiss chimes in, they create some of the tightest and most irresistible harmonies in music today.

Coomes’ gift, and perhaps sick joke, is making his gloominess endearing. He sings “With a bullet to the head or a razor to the vein…You leave this world behind, all your people in pain,” (Better Luck Next Time) in such a tender, feel-good way, you wonder how someone can deliver such grim ideas with an unaffected smile. “It’s Raining” even sounds like a children’s song intended to cheer up and motivate an unhappy camper, but with oodles of sarcasm seeping between the lines.

Musically The Sword of God is somewhat of a return of the Roxichord (the clamorous, fuzz-guitar-sounding, electronic harpsichord that was the driving force behind 1997’s R&B Transmogrification and has been gradually lesser-utilized since.) The percussive noisemaker contrasts with Coomes’ and Weiss’ soothing vocals on the grungy “Goblins and Trolls,” the plodding “A Case of No Way Out,” and the bouncy “Genetic Science,” among others, capturing Quasi’s classic raw sound.

Only half of the album revisits their roots, though. They venture into artier territory testing the capabilities of the studio on most of the remaining tracks. Some of the tricks they attempt are washes of orchestral synthesizer sounds and an avant-garde saxophone solo (“Fuck Hollywood”); space-trippy meandering interludes; and a Rolling Stones-esque, bluesy riff over a swirl of bagpipes and a hodgepodge of sounds ranging from a ping-pong match to a rocket launch (“Rock and Roll Can Never Die.”) These exploits effectiveness is questionable, but the experimentation brings a healthy variety to the album.

Quasi are at their best when they stick to their unique, signature sound. It’s hard to resist Sam Coomes churning his despair into boisterous, head-bopping Pop.

- Dave Powers
(As posted 8/13/01 on 3wk.com)