July 2002 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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Quix*o*tic return with second helping of dark tunes 12 July 2002
Washington, DC goth/psychedelic folk trio Quix*o*tic this week released for the US their second full-length, Mortal Mirror, which seamlessly combines 9 of their own dark tunes with an eclectic selection of covers by Billy Stewart (in The Rainbows with Marvin Gaye), Lee Diamond (one-time band leader for Little Richard) & George Davis (who played with the Neville brothers in The Hawkettes), and Black Sabbath. Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Christina Billotte, known to locals as the queen of post-harDCore, started Quix*o*tic in 1999 after the demise of her band Slant 6—leaving behind the clash of punk, garage, and riot grrrl for the introspection of spooky psychedelia and the tasty freedom of being a genre whore. For her new band, Billotte—who’d also played in the pre-Helium Autoclave with Mary Timony, and with the DC incarnation of Bratmobile—enlisted her sister Mira, a stunning vocalist in her own right and, like Christina, a guitarist and drummer; and Brendan Majewski (ex Murder) on bass. Majewski left after the band’s debut Night For Day. His replacement for the new album is prog-rock bassist Mick Barr (aka Octis, in Orthrelm and formerly in Crom-Tech). On Mortal Mirror, Quix*o*tic are severely minimal, especially on the short instrumentals Masterpeaceful and the title track, sounding distinctly like a chilled out jazz trio playing goth chamber music; on the partially-a cappella On My Own; and on the voice, snare, and walking-lead-guitar The Breeze—a dreamy and dark lament juxtaposing suicide with hope. But their minimalism, possibly off-putting to ears accustomed to denser production, allows the Billotte sisters’ songs and sublime vocals to shine. Even on the album’s powerful closer, their take on Black Sabbath’s Lord Of This World with plenty of fuzz guitar and big drums, Quix*o*tic evoke a tender intimacy. Four bites out of five. Rockbites ratings 5: life changing, 4: stunning, 3: captivating, 2: amusing, 1: annoying. Quix*o*tic play this year’s LadyfestDC the second week of August, then play a week of US west-coast dates (with Sonic Youth for all the following shows except the 24th): August 21 - Denver, CO (TBA) 24 - Los Angeles, CA (The Smell) 25-26 - LA (El Rey) 27-28 - San Francisco (The Fillmore) 30 - Portland (TBA) | Quix*o*tic on Kill Rock Stars | | fan site | | CD from Amazon US | | top of page | |
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