On Quasi’s February album ‘American Gong’ this was the explosive encore, the gong-smash referred to in the title and, so good, it found itself nestling on what we used to call ‘side one’ where obvious singles are usually to be found. At six and a half minutes in length and largely composed of a primal grimace of psychedelia, however, this brilliantly forgets to follow the blueprint for single releases. A good thing too – why selfishly prune such errant art? Nobody plays this kind of thing on the radio any more, and if they do they only get shut down.
Taking similar inspiration from our modest turdus merula as Paul McCartney did back in 1968, the track sets out as a twee, almost childlike nursery rhyme sung by Sam Coomes. But, giving it no time to find a quirky indie movie soundtrack or a whimsical advert to nest in, the song is sent soaring skywards by an impassioned chorus where Coombes is joined by drummer Janet Weiss. Structurally the track owes a great deal to ‘Light My Fire’ by The Doors but thankfully none of its overblown smugness. Instead, to those whom Quasi have thus far passed by and are looking for a quick comparison, you should look no further than the chainsaw guitars of The Breeders’ classic ‘Cannonball’ mixed with the illusory and oblivious pop fun of early Dandy Warhols.
