Albums That You Should Own, But Perhaps Don't (And In That Case, You Soon Will): Q And Not U - No Kill No Beep Beep

Q And Not U - No Kill No Beep Beep

Q And Not U is my second-favorite band on Dischord Records (the first one being a band whose name starts with an "F" and ends in "ugazi".) But don't let that sour your milk --the boys in Q And Not U made a mark all their own on the post-hardcore punk scene.

Their 2000 debut, No Kill No Beep Beep (produced and engineered by Fugazi's own Ian MacKaye and Inner Ear Studio owner Don Zientara), saw much action back in my days behind the record store counter and there's no reason it can't be your soundtrack to enliven otherwise mindless and menial tasks.

From their inception, Q And Not U had the reputation of getting notoriously stiff indie rockers to loosen up and get down with more upbeat and danceable numbers than their Dischord brethren. Their use of rapid rhythms and catchy singsong lyrics got the crowds moving from their usual shoegazing stance to freaking-the-fuck-out mode in mere seconds.

They also routinely used hand claps in their songs, and fuck if I know a better way to get people moving than hand claps (save a cowbell, perhaps.)

All the songs on No Kill are laudable. "Line In The Sand" stutter steps to a rousing coda, "Hooray For Humans" is pure unbridled energy, "Kiss Distinctly American" is sublime with all its Slint-y goodness, and the main guitar riff in "The More I Get The More I Want" thoroughly suits its title.

Q And Not U followed No Kill No Beep Beep with two equally as engaging albums, 2002's Different Damage and 2004's Power before finally breaking up in 2005. Their catalog is perennially in my rotation.

Enjoy:

See Also: ATYSOBPDAITCYSW: The Label!