Quasi: Field Studies

"I live underground on the dark side of town," sings Quasi's Sam Coomes on the new Field Studies, and the duo's follow-up to last year's acclaimed Featuring "Birds" never lets you forget it. An unapologetically dark, remarkably catchy set of songs, Field Studies more than lives up to the high expectations set by its predecessor. Made up of Coomes and ex-wife Janet Weiss (who has another steady gig as the drummer for Sleater-Kinney), Quasi has carved out a niche for itself as a pop band whose mournful cynicism cuts as deep as its songwriting. Very much of a piece with Birds, Field Studies finds Coomes and Weiss making a little, at least in terms of instrumentation, go a long way. At times using only Coomes' keyboard and Weiss' drums, Quasi achieves everything it needs for a rich, full sound through the most modest of arrangements; Coomes' (and on one track Weiss') songwriting and the pair's tight harmonies alone suggest something far more lush. Fleshing out some tracks, however, are semi-high-profile guest stars Elliott Smith (Coomes' ex-bandmate in Heatmiser) and Built To Spill's Phil Ek, who produces two songs. Like their heroes in The Kinks, Coomes and Weiss have found an expert way of channeling dark, questioning sentiments into pop music, knowing that disillusionment, disappointment, disgust, and despair are just as fitting as subjects for hook-laden songs as their antonyms. It may not have been Coomes' choice to create such sad songs, but Field Studies continues to prove that everybody else benefits from his efforts.