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Quietus Mixes & Radio

Quietus Mix 51: Suuns Shine Out Of Our Behind
The Quietus , November 4th, 2011 08:29

In a mixtape to celebrate their appearance at Utrecht's Le Guess Who? Festival later this month, the Montreal motorik pop quartet gift us with an eclectic selection that turns on a sixpence from fragile pop to punk to stripped-back techno

This year's debut album from Montreal quartet Suuns, Zeroes QC, used post-punk's oft-latent dubby sensibility and driving motorik rhythms as the basis for a series of repetitive, quietly intense rock songs. Unlike a lot of peers working with similar influences, though, they exercise an unusual amount of restraint. A little like Caribou's Swim album and recent live performances they're fond of long periods of extended tension, followed by brief moments of release. Those sort of dynamics, along with the weighty low end kick that runs throughout their music, give their tracks the sort of propulsive, trance-inducing edge rarely seen outside of straight-up club music. But there's a softer pop edge too, with Ben Shemie's half-sung, half-whispered vocals allowed to float free above the thrum beneath.

Suuns put together this mixtape for Utrecht's Le Guess Who? Festival, where they will be performing at the end of this month (for full details of the event, see below). Unsurprisingly, it reflects those eclectic interests. Starting with the likes of The Diamonds' 'Soft Summer Breeze' and Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra's 'Some Velvet Morning', it moves via The War On Drugs and Wire to a heavier dancefloor section featuring the likes of Plastikman and Thomas Brinkmann.

"Not much of a concept behind the mix really," says Shemie. "Some psych, some punk, some friends of ours, and a minimal disco-tek dance section. Lots to listen to. In a way, the mix has a lot of music that's dear to our hearts and some other cuts that are just for kicks.  Klaus Wonderlich is the black sheep in the mix, sometimes we play his shit before we go on stage to really confuse the audience."

Suuns are due to play in Holland, at Utrecht's Le Guess Who? Festival, at the end of this month. It runs from 24th-27th November and features a thoroughly impressive line-up - everyone from Bill Callahan and Steve Malkmus to Zomby, Com Truise & Roll The Dice. Check the Le Guess Who? site for more information.