Zeroes QC

Artist: Suuns
Album: Zeroes QC
Release Date: January 2011




When Suuns released their debut EP last year, it went under the radar almost straight away. Apart from a limited level of blog hype and hipster intrigue in that they had found something utterly head- fucking and interesting, most people seemed to deem Suuns a terrifying prospect, a band only for those who were brave enough to dig deeper underground than Battles.

The Canadian quartet's debut full- length "Zeroes QC," whilst still ultimately a creative mess of a record and regressive in sound, should cast the foursome into the light of being one of the most extra- ordinary and talented new bands in recent times. The secret to the magic here is the quiet and regressive progression that swarms the album, which instead of making you feel like they're holding something back, is a pensive and intense invitation from the band to seek more. Opener "Armed For Peace" starts with sleazy synths before building up into a near- anthem that sounds like "The Bends"- era Radiohead were they given a 2037 edge. "Arena" builds up and up from humble beginnings into a swirling and climatic freak disco, whilst the 7 minute "Sweet Nothing" starts off with swirls and bleeps before ending on a sound that wouldn't have been far out of place on either of Queens of the Stone Age's first two albums.

The real winner here though is the acid- fried, space- rock stomp of "Pie IX." It's throbbing and dark electronic underbelly and screeching guitars make it unnerving enough, and with Ben Shemie's soft and somewhat disturbingly innocent vocals, it's a song that tingles all senses.

Despite some less impressive moments ("Gaze," "Up Past The Nursery"), "Zeroes QC" is an album that reeks of ingenuity at every turn. It conjures up the sounds of many distant dimensions- unnerving, but fantastically exciting all the same. Suuns are the new band most worthy of transporting us there.

Download: 1) Pie IX, 2) Armed for Peace, 3) Arena
For Fans of: Radiohead, Clinic, Queens of the stone age


8/10