Quails

The Quails, hailing from San Francisco, feature members who have played with Circus Lupus, the Electrolettes and the Cha Cha Cabaret. With all three of the band's members sharing vocal duties, Atmosphere wanders across ragged terrain, traversing from convulsive no wave to reeling abrasiveness and keen pop. Their second album, following their debut released by Sara Jaffe of Erase Errata, conveys jagged melodies and hectic rhythms. The Quails draw comparisons to Sleater-Kinney and the two do share similar songwriting attributes, but the Quails' material occasionally also displays a passing reference to the unwieldy venom of Corin Tucker's previous outfit, Heavens to Betsy. The multiplicity of approaches makes for unhinged listening but Atmosphere is, nevertheless, an engaging record.